I don't believe in heroes
by Torchwhovian
Summary: "Phil Coulson was one of the greatest people I have ever known. I've known him pretty much my entire life. When we were kids, we would play pretend that we were superheroes. Right now, the only hero I believe in is Phil Coulson."
1. Chapter 1

"Phil, come meet our new neighbors!" Mrs. Coulson called to her son. It took a few minutes but eventually Phil came round the corner, a comic book in his hand. The six year old studied the new neighbors: a taller redheaded woman and a redheaded girl who looked about her age. She had freckles splattered across her nose and cheeks. "Say hello, Phil."

"Hullo Phil." He parroted.

"This is Mary and Ellie Johnson." Mrs. Coulson gestured between her son and the Johnsons. "This is my son Phillip. Why don't you take Ellie and go play in your room?"

"She's a girl." Phil complained to his mother.

"Be nice." His mother warned.

Phil squinted his eyes at Ellie suspiciously before he spoke. "Do you like Captain America?"

Ellie nodded shyly. "He's my favorite."

"Come on then." Phil said with a huff. He led her back to his room, stomping the whole way. When Ellie saw the countless Captain America posters covering the walls and the stacks of comic books piled on the floor, her jaw dropped.

"Where did you get all this?" Ellie asked.

"My dad gave it to me." Phil said.

"These are so cool." Ellie giggled. "I had some stuff but it's gone now."

"What happened to it?" Phil asked, sifting through some comics.

"Our house burned up." Ellie said.

Phil looked at the posters that covered his walls, carefully studying them before pulling one off the wall and handing it to Ellie. "You can have this one."

The young girl stared at the smiling Captain on the poster and grinned from ear to ear. "Thanks."

"Do you want to play heroes?" Phil asked.

Ellie nodded eagerly, setting her new poster down carefully.

"I'll be Captain America and you can be the bad guy."

"I want to be Captain America." Ellie whined.

"You can't. You're a girl."

"So?"

"Girls can't be Captain America. He's a boy." Phil picked up a cardboard shield that was decorated like the Captain's.

"Can to." Ellie countered.

"Can not." Phil argued. "Come on. Let's play."

The mothers found their children a few hours later, chasing each other around in Phil's room. The children were laughing gleefully and panting for breath.

"Ellie, it's time to go." Mrs. Johnson said.

"But Mom..." Ellie protested.

"Can Ellie come back tomorrow?" Phil asked and Ellie grinned at him.

Mrs. Coulson and Mrs. Johnson shared a look before Mrs. Coulson spoke. "Sure. I don't see why not."

This was how their friendship started. Ellie came over every day after school and stayed until her mother got home from work, usually playing heroes with Phil. Despite his initial protests, Phil warmed up to the idea of Ellie playing the Captain but only on special occasions. While the Captain was both of their favorites, they enjoyed all the superheroes in their comic books, often wishing that they had some kind of special powers themselves.

"Look." Ellie held up a picture of Phil in a uniform and cape. "You're a superhero."

"What's my power?" Phil asked, taking the picture from her and examining it.

"I dunno. What do you want it to be?" Ellie asked, sitting up from her position on the floor.

"I want to be like Cap." Phil said eagerly. The six year old had a slight obsession with the man.

"Then that's your power." Ellie said. "You can be Captain Phil."

The pair dissolved into laughter and continued with their coloring.

**A/N: This story is going to start with the youngsters and progress through their lives to the events of the Avengers. I have seen the Avengers but I haven't read any of the Marvel comics so if I get anything horrendously wrong, please tell me. Reviews are always welcome. I don't bruise easily. :) **


	2. Chapter 2

By the time Ellie turned twelve years old, she didn't have any friends that were girls. This caused for some teasing and since she was Phil's best friend, he was teased as well. They didn't care because what did they need other children for when they had each other to play with?

"Phil!" Ellie ran down the hallway of their school toward him. She was waving a new book in her hand as she slid to a stop in front of him. Squealing happily she said, "I got it! Mom found it at a thrift store!"

"What is it?" Phil took the book from her and opened the cover. "No way! You got his autograph?"

"It was already in the book so _ I _didn't get it but it's there." Ellie was grinning ear to ear.

"It's his actual autograph." Phil was in awe.

"I know!" Ellie said excitedly. "Come on. Mom's here to pick us up."

Phil pulled his backpack on his shoulder and followed Ellie outside, his eyes glued to the autograph of his favorite hero in this random book. They piled in the backseat of Ellie's mom's van and buckled their seat belts. The pair were so immersed in fawning over the signature that they didn't even hear the squealing of brakes until it was too late. Ellie remembered feeling her head smack against Phil's, which hurt really bad, before she felt tired.

When she woke up, Ellie was in a hospital room and her head ached. It took some effort to sit up but when she managed to, she saw Phil in the bed next to hers with a white bandage wrapped around his head. Ellie's throat and mouth were dry, causing her to croak when she tried to talk. "Phil? Are you okay?"

"My head hurts." Phil said, his voice hoarse as well. "Are you okay?"

"I guess so." Ellie said. She couldn't see the scar that was forming along the left side of her face but Phil could see it. It looked angry and red. "Where's my mom?"

"I dunno." Phil said. "I just woke up."

Mrs. Coulson had been at the hospital shortly after she received the phone call about the accident. While the doctor expected both Phil and Ellie to make a full recovery, Mrs. Johnson hadn't been as lucky. She had passed away on the scene of the accident. Mrs. Coulson took a deep breath before entering the children's hospital room and sat between the beds.

"How are you feeling?" She asked them.

"My head hurts." Phil complained as Ellie said, "My throat hurts."

Mrs. Coulson gave them both some water and told Phil to lay back on his pillows. Ellie didn't want to rest, she wanted her mother.

"Mrs. Coulson?" Ellie asked. "Where's my mom?"

"Ellie, sweetheart, I'm afraid that your mother had been hurt really badly in the accident." Mrs. Coulson said, keeping the quiver out of her voice.

"Where is she?" Ellie asked, afraid of the answer.

"She didn't make it, honey." Mrs. Coulson cleared her throat. "I'm so sorry, Ellie."

"No. You're wrong." Ellie said, her eyes filling with tears. "You're lying to me."

"I wish I was." Mrs. Coulson said, her chin trembling. She covered Ellie's hand with her own and tried to comfort her.

"My mom's dead?" Ellie let the tears fall now. "Really?"

Mrs. Coulson nodded sadly and took the crying girl in her arms. "Don't worry honey. We'll take care of you."

When the day of the funeral came, Ellie and Phil were sitting in the front row silently. Ellie had cried so much the last few days she thought she'd never cry again but when she saw the casket holding her mother, silent tears fell down her cheeks. Phil took her hand in his and squeezed it once, letting her know that he was there. Her other family members had come to pay their respects, aunts and uncles and cousins, but they barely knew Ellie. They offered murmured apologies as they passed her while she sat in her chair. Through the funeral and the ride to the cemetery, Phil didn't release her hand.

It started raining when they arrived at the cemetery. It wasn't the warm rain either. It was cold and freezing, causing Ellie to shiver. Phil relinquished her hand long enough to pull off his coat and slip it around Ellie's shoulders, then he took her hand again. Mrs. Coulson and Phil stayed with Ellie at the grave site until she was ready to leave.

"What's going to happen to me?" Ellie asked, looking up at Mrs. Coulson.

"You're going to come live with Phil and I." Mrs. Coulson said.

The process of moving Ellie's belongings to the Coulson home didn't take long. It had only been her and her mother for a very long time. Her father had abandoned them when Ellie was a baby but Mrs. Johnson had done her best to provide for Ellie. As she settled into her new room across the hall from Phil's, Ellie caught a glimpse of her face in the mirror. The ugly scar cut across her left cheek and nose made her angry.

"I'm ugly." Ellie told her reflection.

"I don't think you're ugly." Phil said as he entered her room.

"You have to say that." Ellie said, sitting on her bed.

"No I don't." Phil said simply. They stared at each other for a long few seconds before Phil spoke again. "Do you want to play heroes?"

They hadn't played that game in several years and Ellie shook her head. Phil wasn't going to take no for an answer though. "Come on. You can be Cap."

By the time Ellie and Phil went back to school, every one of their classmates had heard about the accident. She wasn't ready for the sympathetic stares or the hushed whispers as she passed people in the hall but she could handle it. What she wasn't ready for was a comment about her scar as she sat in the library doing her homework.

"What happened to you?" The most popular girl and bully in school, Ashley, said. "Your face is all messed up. That's hideous."

"I was in an accident." Ellie said, swallowing the lump in her throat.

"If that happened to my face, I'd want to die." Ashley said matter of factly.

"Leave me alone." Ellie said. She looked back at her schoolwork as she felt her face flush.

"I think it's interesting." Seth, the boy Ashley had a crush on, said. He had been sitting at the table opposite of Ellie.

"I'd rather be pretty than interesting." Ashley said.

"I think she's pretty." Seth countered. He flashed a smile at Ellie, who blushed more, and turned back to his own work. Ashley huffed and left the library, grumbling to herself.

"Thanks." Ellie said to Seth.

"No problem." Seth said.

Phil had entered the library and claimed the seat next to Ellie. "Guess what I have?"

"Cooties?" Ellie guessed.

"Ha. You're very funny." Phil said. "But no. Mom got us tickets to the special early show of the new Spiderman movie."

"Are you serious?" Ellie felt happy for the first time in two weeks. "That's awesome."

"I knew that'd make you happy." Phil smiled at her. "I have to meet my tutor but I'll see you at home?"

"You know I'll be there." Ellie smiled back, the movement seemed almost foreign after the accident. She was lucky to have a best friend like Phil. 

**A/N: Thank you for the two reviews I have received. I do hope that you all continue to find this story interesting. Thank you for reading and feel free to drop a review on your way out. xo**


	3. Chapter 3

"Hey Coulson!" Phil turned when he heard his name called. He tugged on Ellie's arm so she would stop walking as well while the two boys approached them. "We're going to play football. Do you want to come?"

"Sure." Phil said. "Come on Ellie."

"I'm good." Ellie said. The pair were now sixteen years old and while they were still very close, sports was the one thing they didn't have in common. Puberty had been a factor in finding girl friends and had plans to go over to Anna's house tonight.

"Why not?" Phil asked, even though he knew the reason.

"Sports are stupid." Ellie said. "Besides, Anna's waiting for me."

"Suit yourself." Phil said, running off with the other boys. Ellie turned around and walked the few blocks to Anna's house. Anna greeted Ellie at the door and the two girls ran up to Anna's room, slamming the door closed behind them. Two other girls, Bethany and Lisa, were already there, applying makeup to themselves. All three of the girls were envious of Ellie's complexion and freckles and used her as their own personal Barbie doll, applying makeup to highlight her eyes. Ellie had accepted her scar and tried to not be self conscious about it as Bethany leaned forward, focused on her face.

"You know who's the cutest boy in our class?" Bethany said, using eyeliner to draw cat eyes on Ellie's lids. "Phil Coulson."

"He's my best friend, guys." Ellie said.

"You spend so much time with him, El." Anna said, flopping on her bed on her stomach. "Have you ever kissed him?"

"What?" Ellie turned to stare at Anna. "Are you serious?"

"I'd kiss him if I got the chance." Lisa sighed. "His eyes are gorgeous."

Bethany finished Ellie's makeup and giggled with Lisa and Anna. "I'd kiss him too."

"I'll be sure to let him know." Ellie teased, laughing when Anna threw a pillow at her face. They talked a little longer but Ellie had to go home for dinner. The first thing she saw when she got home was Phil holding an ice pack to his right eye. "What happened?"

"Nothing." Phil shrugged and smiled at her. "You look good."

"Thanks. Bethany did this." Ellie got in her chair at the table. "By the way, she thinks you're cute. So do Anna and Lisa."

"Good to know." Phil chuckled as he held the ice pack on his eye. Mrs. Coulson served them dinner, scolding Phil once more for getting into a fight. They finished off their dinner and went to their separate rooms to finish their homework. Their rooms were across the hall from each other and if they left the doors open they could see into each other's rooms.

"How'd you get the black eye?" Ellie asked, writing in her notebook.

Phil laying was on his bed reading a book. "Football."

"Did it hit you in the eye?" Ellie said, putting her pencil down and joining Phil on his bed.

"Maybe." Phil said distantly before closing his book and sitting up. "Have you ever kissed a boy?"

"You too?" Ellie groaned. "Anna, Bethany, and Lisa wouldn't shut up about that when I was over there. What's the big deal with kissing anyway?"

"It's just a question." Phil said. "No reason to get so defensive."

"No. I haven't." Ellie said. "Have you? Kissed a girl I mean."

"Nope." Phil admitted. "You really want to know how I got my black eye?"

"I do. Is it a good story?" Ellie asked.

Phil shrugged. "Adam and Brian said that they saw you behind the library making out with Seth. Then they said a lot of really rude things about you so I punched them."

"You didn't have to do that." Ellie said. "Now you're in trouble."

"Eh. It was worth it." Phil said with a smile.

"Does it hurt?" Ellie asked.

"Not really." Phil said.

"So you've never kissed a girl?" Ellie said.

"Why is that such a surprise?" Phil asked.

"Because you're popular and according to my friends you're "hot and totally kissable." Ellie put air quotes around the last of her sentence.

"Haven't met anybody recently that I wanted to kiss." Phil shrugged. "What about you? You know people."

"Yeah but I'm just the popular kid's friend." Ellie said. She ran a finger along her scar. "Plus this isn't exactly a guy magnet."

Phil pulled her hand away from her face. "I've told you that nobody notices that."

"I know you have but guys are superficial." Ellie said. "Anyway I should probably finish my math homework. I have a test tomorrow."

Phil watched her stand up to leave and let her take several steps toward the door before he spoke. "Do you want to?"

"Want to what? Finish my math homework?" Ellie asked, turning around. "Not really. I hate math."

Phil stood and closed the distance between them, chuckling. "I meant kiss me. Your friends do. Do you?"

"I don't know." Ellie admitted. "Do you?"

He tucked some loose hair behind her ear and nodded, letting his hand linger on her neck. "May I?"

Ellie nodded and smiled. "You may."

She was nervous as Phil pressed his lips to her gently. His lips were soft and warm and he tasted like the lasagna they had for dinner. Ellie felt him put his free hand on her waist, letting it rest there and she had let her own hands rest on his hips. She was unsure of what to do with them. Phil seemed to know what to do with her hands because he moved them so her arms were wrapped around his neck and he slipped his arms around her waist, deepening the kiss between them. Ellie buried her fingers in his hair, her nails accidentally scratching his hair line, causing Phil to shiver. When they pulled apart, he kiss her lips once more quickly and chastely before he rested his forehead against hers, their breath mingling.

"Anna was right." Ellie said softly, her green eyes meeting Phil's blue ones.

"About what?" Phil asked.

"You are totally kissable." Ellie joined Phil as he laughed. "I should study for my test tomorrow."

Phil nodded and moved away from her, claiming her right hand as she turned to her room. He pressed a kiss to her hand, smiling at her before he relinquished it. Ellie blushed and closed the door to her room so she could focus on studying. When she clicked off the light and crawled under her blankets to go to sleep, she replayed the kiss in her mind and fell asleep with a smile on her lips.

Phil had already left for school the next morning and when Ellie got to her locker she found a sunflower with a note that read _Good luck on your test_. She smiled and rubbed one of the petals between her thumb and forefinger before closing her locker and heading to class.

**A/N: Thank you for reading and adding this story to your favorites/follow alerts. Those emails always make me smile. Feel free to leave a review on your way out. xo**

**Littleheartache: I'm glad you enjoy this story. Thank you for your review. **


	4. Chapter 4

Phil couldn't remember exactly when he had fallen in love with his best friend, all he knew was that he was in love with her. Their first kiss had been perfect and they had slowly transitioned into a romantic relationship. Ellie had become his girlfriend. The thought made him smile as he listened to her sing loudly and off key to music in her room. He knocked on her door and pushed it open when she didn't respond. In addition to singing, she was dancing to the music as well with her back to him. The girl had no sense of rhythm at all. Phil leaned against the door frame as he watched her, laughing at her mortified look when she finally turned and realized he was there.

"How long have you been there?" Ellie turned down her music until it was background noise.

"Not long." Phil promised, still chuckling. "I actually wanted to know if you wanted to go do something."

"Like what?" Ellie asked.

Phil shrugged. "Mom's working late so we could go get some dinner or see a movie. Whatever you want."

Ellie grabbed her wallet and he took her hand as they walked out of the house, going to their favorite diner. It was a small place where the waitresses knew them by name because they were in there so often.

"Do you want the usual?" Their favorite waitress, Chloe, asked.

"Yes please." They answered together.

"Have you finished your costume for the Halloween party?" Ellie asked.

"Almost. I just have to finish the helmet. Which reminds me, we need to stop by the store on the way home. I need to pick up some more glue." Phil said. "Are you still going as Catwoman?"

"Yep. My costume is all finished. I'm so excited for this weekend." Ellie said gleefully.

Their meals came and they were occupied with their food for a while until Ellie flicked at french fry at Phil and he retaliated with bits of bacon he had torn from his bacon cheeseburger. Once they had finished, Phil paid for their meals and they wandered the craft store while he found what he needed. He reclaimed her hand on the walk home, his plastic bag rustling in the other hand. Mrs. Coulson was still gone when they got home so they both went to Phil's room and Ellie sat cross legged, watching Phil as he finished his Captain America helmet.

"Lookin' good, Cap." Ellie teased, looking through his comic books, as Phil put on the finishing touches. He set the helmet aside so it could dry.

"Thank you ma'am." Phil winked at her, loving the way she blushed. "Hey Freckles."

"Yeah?" Ellie picked out her favorite Captain America comic.

"Come here." Phil smiled, which caused Ellie to smile as she put her comic down and crossed the short distance between them on her knees. He was still smiling when he pressed his lips to hers, their lips moving together while he pulled her into his lap. "You know I love you, right?"

"I know." Ellie said. "I love you too."

Phil fidgeted with his costume, adjusting it where needed before he went downstairs for his party. Ellie had wanted to surprise him with her costume so he hadn't seen it yet. He had to admit that his costume looked pretty good. He had made it to match Captain America's pretty closely and he was proud of it.

"Phil! Ellie! Your friends are starting to arrive." Mrs. Coulson stood in the hallway between their doors. Her son met her in the hall. "You look so handsome, Phil. Now, keep out of trouble. I'm going to be at the hospital all night so call if you have an emergency."

"Mom, we're 16." Phil said.

"I know." Mrs. Coulson said as Phil walked her downstairs and out the door. He closed it behind her and heard Ellie on the stairs, turning to see her costume. She had gotten a catsuit that fit her perfectly, her muscles were highlighted subtly and a headband with cat ears pinned to it was holding her hair out of her face. But the part that really caught his attention was her eyes. She had used a black eyeshadow and a cat eye eyeliner to make her look more feline. Her fingernails were painted black.

"What do you think?" Ellie asked.

Phil hadn't realized his mouth was hanging open until he tried to talk. "You look amazing."

"So do you. Just like the real Captain." Ellie said with a smile. The doorbell rang and they let their friends in, the house slowly filling up the later it got. The pair got several compliments on their costumes throughout the night. The party was a success with most of the food, drinks, and party favors gone by the end of the night.

When everyone had gone, Phil and Ellie started cleaning up most of the mess. It took a couple of hours but eventually the house was clean. They dropped on the couch once they had finished and Phil clicked on the TV, flipping through the channels. He settled on _Dracula _and put his arm around Ellie while she snuggled into his side. She fell asleep a few minutes into the movie, snoring softly. Phil pressed a kiss to the top of her head and watched the movie.

**A/N: Thanks to those of you who have read/favoritied/followed/reviewed this story. You guys are awesome. Feel free to leave a review on your way out. The emails always make me smile.**

**Joanie McClure: I'm glad you love it and think this is cute. Thanks for your review. :)**

**Littleheartache: Thank you for taking the time to review and thank you for your support. It makes me happy to have you take time out to review my story, especially if you don't usually review a lot. :)**


	5. Chapter 5

It happened when Phil and Ellie went off to college. They got to their apartment and had everything unpacked when they went to wander the campus and get some sense of familiarity with it.

"Hey!" A man about Phil's age called as they passed. The pair stopped and turned at the voice as the man jogged to catch up with them. "Hi. Sorry about the shout. It's just that I'm part of the art program here and she would be a perfect model for my photography."

"I'm sorry." Ellie said, exchanging a look with Phil. "Who are you exactly?"

"I'm Patrick Schmidt." He extended a hand and they shook it warily. "Hello."

"I'm Ellie Johnson and this is Phil Coulson." Ellie said.

"Pleased to meet you." Patrick smiled. "Now, back to business. Would you be interested in being my model?"

"Um...well I—I don't really think I'd be a good subject..." Ellie said.

"You're perfect. So beautiful, if I may say so, and that scar hints at mystery and gives you a very interesting look." Patrick said. He wrote his number on a scrap of paper and handed it to her. "Think about it and then give me a call."

Ellie smiled at him politely and took Phil's hand as they walked away. It wasn't until later while they were eating dinner did they broach the topic again.

"What could it hurt?" Phil asked, twirling spaghetti around his fork. "Let other people see you the way I do."

"And how exactly do you see me?" Ellie asked, her tone light.

Phil smiled at her. "Breathtakingly beautiful."

Ellie returned the smile and thought about it for a few minutes. "I guess I could. It's just a few pictures, right? What could happen?" 

That was how Ellie found herself in a studio, standing in a wooded area with Patrick and his cameras. It felt weird to her but she had her phone with her and knew that Phil would get help if she needed it.

"Okay, perfect." Patrick said, looking through the lens. "Just turn a little bit to the right...there we go."

Ellie wasn't exactly sure how to pose for a camera so she followed Patrick's instructions. The session went well and she went with him to his developing room so she could see the photos.

"Why not use a digital camera?" Ellie asked as she watched him hang up the photos so they could dry. "Seems like a lot less work."

"I prefer it this way. Everything is digital nowadays. Nobody wants a little old fashioned." Patrick chuckled.

"Hey mate." Patrick's roommate knocked on the door. "Food's here."

"Come on." Patrick said. "I had him pick up extra for you."

"That's really nice but I need to get home. Phil's waiting for me." Ellie headed for the door when she felt something hit the back of her head hard. She fell to the ground unconscious and Patrick picked her up in his arms and carried her to a room they had kept locked. He placed her body on a table and strapped her to it. Colin, Patrick's roommate, joined them a little while later.

"Are you sure this is going to work?" Colin asked. "The tesseract isn't exactly stable when mixed with the serum."

"My grandfather wanted to create a series of weapons." Patrick said. "What better way than to turn a person into a weapon? If it doesn't work on this one, we'll just get a new girl."

Patrick filled a syringe with the glowing blue serum they had created using the Super Soldier serum and parts of the tesseract that their ancestors had used. Colin Erskine had received his grandfather's serum formula when he turned 18 and had received a scientific scholarship. Patrick Schmidt had always heard the stories of his grandfather's path to glory until that Spangled moron came and took it away. Now he had a chance to make his family proud. With a smile, Patrick shoved the needle into her arm. All they had to do now was wait.

They watched her for a few hours, waiting for something to happen. They were about to give up when they saw a faint blue light pulsing in sync with her heartbeat. It gradually pulsed faster, the light glowing brighter and brighter until she was engulfed in it. The light shining throughout the room caused the two boys to shield their eyes until it dimmed. Ellie was sitting up now, the straps holding her down broken, and the difference was subtle. Her femininity had been increased and her green eyes glowed blue but other than that she looked normal. Ellie was looking at her surroundings, fear in her mind.

"What did you do to me?" Ellie asked, her voice trembling.

"We made a perfect weapon." Patrick said, giddy. "We did it Colin!"

"I'm going for the police." Ellie hopped off the table and tried to run, only to have Patrick block her path.

"You're not going anywhere." Patrick said.

Ellie felt her heart pound and felt something burning as it coursed through her veins. She raised a hand to slap Patrick but instead a beam of blue light poured from her hand, blowing the man to smithereens. Ellie shrieked and stared at the burn mark on the wall and ground. "I didn't mean to. Please help me."

Colin was terrified now, backing away from her with his eyes wide. "Stay away from me."

"Please help me." Ellie pleaded as he ran away. She ran after him and was shocked at the speed she was able to run. She chased Colin to the field outside of the dorms, a few blocks from her apartment, and Colin tripped. He backed away from her as fast as he could as she approached him. "What did you do to me?"

"We had the formula for the Super Soldier serum used in the 40's and Patrick had a sample of the Tesseract." Colin admitted. "We made a new serum to create the perfect weapon."

"What?" Ellie asked, feeling violated and scared.

"You need to calm down." Colin said. "If you get upset, I'm afraid that you're going to take the whole campus with you."

"You made me a weapon?" Ellie stammered. "How could you do that to someone? Just use them for your own sick, twisted experiments?"

"Don't you understand? You're super human now. You can do anything you want." Colin tried to reason with her. "Just let me help you."

"No!" Ellie shouted, the blue light pulsing once again as her heart pounded. The burning in her veins increased and she dropped to her knees, clutching herself and groaning.

"Are you all right?" Colin asked, getting up to kneel next to her. She pushed him back and she vaporized him on accident, staring at the new scorch mark on the grass.

"Ellie?" Phil called from a few yards away. He started to run to her, only to have Ellie shout at him.

"Stay back!" Ellie said, tears falling. "I don't want to hurt you."

"What are you talking about?" Phil asked, stopping in his tracks. "Are you okay?"

"No." Ellie admitted. "They—they..."

"What did they do?" Phil asked, taking small steps toward her. "Did they hurt you?"

"They used a serum on me." Ellie said, her voice breaking. "They made me something else."

Phil had reached her and put his arms around her, holding her tight to his chest. The pulsing slowed to a stop the longer he held her. "Tell me what happened."

He took her back to their apartment and she recounted the whole story. Phil was silent until the end of it and Ellie looked at him carefully before speaking. "I understand if you want to leave. You didn't exactly sign up for a monster girlfriend."

Phil silenced her with a kiss. "I love you and I'm not going anywhere."

"What are we going to do?" Ellie asked. "I killed two men tonight."

"Don't worry." Phil said, rubbing her arm as she snuggled into his side. "We'll figure it out."

His solution was simple. They would have to move off campus to prevent anyone from tracing the deaths to her. They moved to New York and found a small one bedroom apartment.

"6 billion people live here." Phil told Ellie as she looked out the window of their apartment. He pressed a kiss to her hair. "We're safe here."

"Are you sure?" Ellie asked hesitantly.

Phil turned her around and looked into her now blue eyes. "I'm sure. I'll always keep you safe."

They both found jobs fairly quickly. Ellie worked in a small diner as a waitress and Phil found a job at an auto shop. They were paid just enough to provide what they needed and despite being classified as 'poor' the pair were exceptionally happy.

"Hello." Ellie greeted her customer with a smile. "What can I get for you sir?"

"I'll have some coffee." The man was black and had an eyepatch.

"Can I get you anything else?" Ellie asked. "They make a great apple pie."

"Coffee is fine." The man said.

"Coming right up." Ellie poured the coffee into the mug and didn't notice when several men in dark suits entered the diner. What she did notice was how they escorted all of the customers and workers out except for Ellie. "What's going on?"

"My name is Director Fury and we'd like you to come with us." He said.

"What? Go where?" Ellie stammered. She had been afraid that this would happen and her heart sped up, the serum in her body starting to shimmer with each beat. She tried to go to her 'happy place', as Phil called it, to lower her anxiety level.

"We just want to have a little talk." Director Fury said.

Ellie was escorted to a black armored vehicle and helped inside. The men in the suits were nice enough but didn't say much. When the car stopped, she was lead inside a large building and put in what she assumed to be a hospital room. She sat perched on the edge of the exam table, jumping when someone opened the door. A woman with kind eyes and apologetic smile stood before her.

"My name is Doctor Benson." She said, extending a hand to Ellie. "I just want to give you a little checkup."

"Am I in trouble?" Ellie asked as Dr. Benson checked her blood pressure.

"I don't think so." Dr. Benson said. "Have you ever been pregnant?"

"I'm 18." Ellie said.

"You'd be surprised how many pregnant teens there have been." Dr. Benson smiled again.

"No. I've never been pregnant." Ellie replied.

"How many sexual partners?"

"One."

"Any family history of diabetes, cancer, high blood pressure and such?"

"Not that I know of."

"Height?"

"Five foot seven."

"Weight?"

"120 pounds."

"Perfect." Dr. Benson made some notes on her chart. "Would you follow me?"

Ellie slid off the table and followed the doctor to a interview room with a table and two chairs. She sat nervously in one of the chairs until Director Fury arrived. He had a file with him and dropped it on the table before sitting. He stared at Ellie silently for a long few minutes. "Ellie Johnson, what have you been up to?"

"What do you mean?" Ellie asked.

"We've heard what you did at your old college campus." Fury said.

"That was an accident." Ellie said. "I didn't mean to hurt them."

"Whether you meant to or not, you did. Two boys are dead because of you." Fury said gruffly. "What I want to know is how."

"I don't know how exactly." Ellie decided the truth was the best path here. "Patrick asked me to pose for some photos for class and him and his roommate injected me with some serum. They made it from notes and samples their family had."

Fury opened the file. "Colin Erskine and Patrick Schmidt had the Soldier serum and a small amount of Tesseract energy. They injected you with this serum?"

Ellie nodded. "Please, I just want to be left alone. We're happy here."

"We?"

"I meant just me." Ellie stammered, correcting herself to protect Phil. As if on cue, the door opened and Phil was escorted in. He immediately checked Ellie for any damage and hugged her tightly when he was pleased with her well being.

"What's going on here?" Phil asked, his arm still around Ellie.

"Your girlfriend here is a danger and we need to keep it contained." Fury gathered his file and stood.

"What does that mean?" Phil asked.

"It means she's staying here and it'd be in your best interests to find a new girlfriend." Fury said. The suited men snatched Ellie from Phil's arms and pulled her out the door.

"Phil!" Ellie shouted as she was dragged away. "Help me! Let me go!"

"You can't do this." Phil shouted at Fury.

"We're SHIELD, son. We can do what is in the best interest of the world." Fury said.

Phil ran a hand through his hair, thinking quickly. "Let me stay with her. I can help keep her calm and safe."

Fury watched the 18 year old carefully. He had been right in thinking that this Phil Coulson wouldn't leave Ellie which is why he was prepared for it. "Welcome aboard Agent Coulson."

**A/N: Thanks for reading, all you lovely people. I love getting those emails so thanks for reviewing/following/favoriting. **

**Littleheartache: She will meet the Avengers. :)**

**Joanie: Thank you dahling. :)**

**Qweb: I'm glad you like Phil and Ellie :)**

**Please feel free to review. They're always appreciated. :)**


	6. Chapter 6

Dr. Benson was the only person Ellie saw for the next few weeks. The doctor ran an infinite number of tests trying to determine the formula that was injected in to Ellie. This meant a lot of blood tests.

"How long am I going to have to stay here?" Ellie was a little tired of staring at the walls of her cell.

"You'd have to ask Director Fury." Dr. Benson smiled apologetically, swabbing the inside of Ellie's elbow with a cotton ball and taking another blood sample.

"If I'm going to be here a while, can I have my stuff? My comics and my clothes?"

"You'd have to ask-" 

"Director Fury." Ellie finished for her, rolling her eyes. "What about Phil? Can I see him?"

"I'm sorry sweetie. It's not up to me." Dr. Benson finished taking the blood and packed her equipment away.

Ellie sat on the floor of her cell and brought her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around them. All she wanted to know was if Phil was okay. She was still in her waitressing uniform because nobody had brought her any clean clothes.

Phil was still adjusting to being a SHIELD agent. He had to learn an inordinate number of new things and his brain was on overload. Director Fury had said that Ellie was above his clearance level 1 and not his concern. This only fueled his desire to see her more. After Fury caught him trying to break into her cell for the third time, Phil was allowed to see her.

"Please go away." Ellie said, her head resting on her forearms from her position in the corner.

"If you really want me to..." Phil said in a teasing tone. Ellie's head snapped up and a smile spread across her face. She jumped up and ran into his arms, knocking the small stack of clothes and comics from his hands. Phil took her face in his hands and kissed her deeply. "I'm so glad you're alright."

"I'm better now." Ellie said. "You're okay too, right? Fury didn't do anything to you?"

"Not exactly." Phil said. He had ditched the suit before he saw Ellie. "I'm a SHIELD agent now."

"What?"

"I told you I would always keep you safe and this is how I do it." Phil said. He gathered the clothes and comics from the floor. "I brought you these."

"Thank you." Ellie took the clothes. He had brought her a pair of her favorite yoga pants, Captain America t shirt and one of his sweatshirts that she liked to wear. "How long can you stay?"

"Not long." Phil turned around to give Ellie some privacy and reached into his pocket, pulling out a small gift. He waited a few more minutes to allow Ellie to finish dressing before he turned back around. Once he was sure she was dressed, he faced her and handed her the small paper wrapped parcel.

"What's this for?" Ellie asked, tearing the paper away and pouring the contents into her palm. It was a small homemade bracelet. He had spelled out _Phil _and _Ellie _with a small read heart between their names.

"Because I love you." Phil took the bracelet and tied it around her wrist. "Maybe if you have something to remind you of me, it'll help with controlling your abilities."

"They're not abilities." Ellie said, taking her hand back from him. "I killed two people."

"I know. But you didn't do it on purpose." Phil said. "You have a chance to be a real hero, El. Just like we used to play when we were kids."

"That was pretend." Ellie countered. "I'm not made to be a hero. I'm not brave o-o-or strong enough to be a hero."

"You are strong enough now." Phil promised.

"I'm 18 years old. I wanted to get married and have children and grow old and die." Ellie said. "I don't want to be this."

Ellie dropped to her knees, clutching her waist. The energy from the Tesseract was burning again as it changed her genetic makeup. Phil picked her up and placed her on the small cot in her cell. The change caused her heart rate to go up and the blue pulsing to begin again.

"Ellie, listen to my voice." Phil said loud enough for her to hear. "I'm here Freckles and I'm not leaving you. I promise. I love you."

The more he talked, the more she was able to slow her heart rate and bring the pulsing to a stop. When her body was clear of the pain she spoke. "I love you too."

"What happened?" Phil asked, helping her sit up.

"The energy from the Tesseract is changing the genetic makeup of her body." Director Fury said as he walked in. "It's a painful process from what Dr. Benson tells me."

"Will she be okay?" Phil rubbed her back as she tried to catch her breath.

"We're hopeful that once the changes are complete she will be." Fury said. "The doctor has shown me what her body is changing into."

"What is it?" Ellie asked.

"The energy levels in your body are exceptionally higher than most. Dr. Benson is confident that, should you learn to control it, you will be capable of producing high level energy field."

"What does that mean exactly?" Ellie was confused.

Dr. Benson joined them in her cell. "Everything in the universe is made up of energy. The Tesseract was a huge bundle of energy and now it's in you. Should you learn to harness that energy... well coupled with the added benefits of the Soldier Serum, there's almost no limit to what you could do."

"If I learn to control it, can I leave?" Ellie asked. "I can have a life?"

"The potential is there." Fury admitted. "SHIELD would always keep an eye on you though."

"How do I learn to control it?" Ellie was hopeful and squeezed Phil's hand.

"Learn your triggers and find a happy place." Fury said as he walked out. "Good luck."

It was a long process but she finally managed to learn to control it. Her triggers were anxiety, anger, and fear but her happy place was Phil. He kept her grounded and when they were finally allowed on missions together, she kept him safe. Dr. Benson had been correct. Once she accepted what she was and harassed the energy inside of her, she was almost limitless. She could create forcefields of enormous sizes, she could fire energy from her hands, and she could manipulate energy fields around her. Fury had the team design a pair of gloves for Ellie that could allow her to use her hands without using her powers at the same time. Once they found a suitable fabric that was capable of doing so, they remade her wardrobe using it. Fury allowed them to get an apartment and thanks to their paychecks from SHIELD it was a really nice apartment.

On Phil's 20th birthday, Ellie got up early to make him breakfast in bed. He surprised her as she was flipping pancakes by pressing a kiss to her neck. "Good morning."

"Happy birthday." Ellie said, flipping the last pancake onto a plate filled with scrambled eggs and bacon. She poked a candle made to look like the number 20 into the top of the stack of pancakes and lit it. "Make a wish."

"Hmm." Phil feigned thought for a few seconds, his hands on her hips and tugging her closer. "I wish you'd come back to bed."

Ellie giggled but moved one of his hands to take the plate from her. "Sit. Eat. Enjoy the time off."

"I plan to." Phil said, kissing her lips. Ellie kissed him back then put her hands on his chest, gently pushing him away.

"Eat your breakfast while it's hot." Ellie said. "I'll be back soon."

"Where are you going?" Phil sat down at the table, placing his plate in front of him.

"I have to pick up your birthday present." Ellie kissed his cheek. "I'll be back later."

He didn't want her to go. Their days off were few and far between. Phil wasn't sure how exactly she managed to convince the Director to let them both be off. He ate his breakfast quickly and got dressed so he could go pick up movies for that night. When Ellie did come back, there was a stack of movies on the coffee table and Phil was napping on the couch. She placed his present on the coffee table and put his birthday cake in the kitchen before going to wake him up.

"Hey." She shook him gently. "Wake up sleepy head."

"Hmm?" Phil mumbled as he woke up. He sat up and yawned. "You're back."

"I am." Ellie put the present in his lap. "Open it."

Phil tore away the wrapping paper and opened the box, revealing an incomplete deck of Captain America trading cards.

"They're not all there." Ellie admitted. "But most of them are—"

She was interrupted by Phil kissing her. "They're perfect. Thank you."

"You're welcome." Ellie smiled at him. "Happy birthday."

**A/N: I wasn't going to update twice in one day but after getting six more follows and over 220 views on this story just today, I wanted to give you all another chapter. Seriously you guys are awesome and thank you for reading/following/favoriting/ and reviewing. Feel free to leave a review on your way out. I love all of you! **

**Littleheartache: Thanks for your review. It means a lot to me. :)**


	7. Chapter 7

Ellie was tossing and turning in her sleep, muttering frantically. Phil tried to wake her up but she pushed him away as she bolted up right, panting for breath. "It's awake. The Tesseract is awake."

"What do you mean?" Phil asked as he followed Ellie's lead and got dressed.

"We need to check in with Fury." Ellie said. With part of the Tesseract's energy now part of her genetic makeup, she was fairly in tune with its energy. The pair got into their vehicles and went to the base where they held the Tesseract. SHIELD had retrieved the cube from the plane in which Captain America had been frozen. Most people thought that the Captain was dead but as they thawed him out, they realized he was alive. The Tesseract had been held at the SHIELD base ever since.

Phil drove because Ellie felt like her insides were being deep fried. She hadn't felt this way since she was first turned. It assumed it had to be connected to the Tesseract's energy spikes. When they got to the base, the personnel were scurrying about and Phil went to wait for Fury while Ellie checked on the Tesseract. Dr. Selvig was staring at his computer, trying to figure out the reason for the spikes.

Ellie had to support herself on his desk while she tried to stabilize herself, wiping away the sheen of sweat on her forehead. She really hoped the Tesseract would calm down soon.

"You all right, Johnson?" Fury asked her as he walked in.

"I will be, sir." Ellie replied, forcing herself to stand up straight.

"Is there anything we know for certain?" Fury directed his question at Dr. Selvig.

"The Tesseract is misbehaving." Selvig said.

"Is that supposed to be funny?" Fury asked.

"No. The Tesseract is not only active—it's behaving." Selvig replied, showing the Director his computer.

Ellie stared at the glowing blue cube, drowning out the noise around her and focused on the energy. She could almost hear whispers from the cube and she reached out to touch it when a giant beam of energy blew from it to the platform a few yards away. She expanded a forcfield around the group of scientists as the shock wave hit them, releasing it when they saw a man with black hair and a spear on the platform, panting.

"Sir, please put down the spear." Fury said.

The man looked at the spear and back at the humans, smirking as he fired from the spear. Ellie countered it with a force field of her own, tearing off her gloves and firing back. The guards opened fire on the stranger but he leapt and plunged the spear into one of their hearts. He threw knives into two more of the guards' throats and fired again, killing the last of the guards. Ellie managed to send a wave of energy his way and knocked him to the ground. When he was on his back, she took advantage of the brief window and ran the short distance, pinning him to the ground with her foot. "He asked you to put down the spear."

"Aren't you interesting?" The stranger said. He brought the spear up and hit her in the leg with it, knocking her off him. Standing he said, "I am Loki, of Asgard."

Agent Clint "Hawkeye" Barton had been knocked to the ground during the last blast but he got back up, ready to fire again but Loki pinned his arm down and pressed the tip of the spear to his chest. Clint's eyes glowed blue but then he holstered his weapon, waiting for Loki's command. Ellie watched the Director put the Tesseract in a briefcase and slowly moved so she could cover him as he walked out.

"Please don't." Loki said, stopping Fury in his tracks. "I still need that."

"This doesn't have to get any messier." Fury said. He gestured for Ellie to go but she refused. She wouldn't leave her Director alone.

"I've come too far for anything less." Loki said. "I have been burdened with a glorious purpose."

"We have no quarrel with your people." Fury said. The opening of the portal was unstable, Ellie could feel it as it rotated above them. Fury was going to stall until it came crashing down on them all.

"An ant has no quarrel with a boot." Loki replied.

"Are you going to step on us?" Ellie asked.

"I come with glad tidings," Loki said. "Of a world made free."

"Free of what?" Fury asked.

"Freedom. Freedom is life's great lie. Once you accept that," Loki turned and pressed the tip of his spear to Selvig's chest. "You will know peace."

"Yeah, you say "peace", I kind of think you mean the other thing." Fury said. Ellie could hear the rumbling of the building above her.

"Sir, Directory Fury is stalling." Clint said. "This place is about to blow and drop a hundred feet of rock on us. He means to bury us."

"Like the pharaohs of old." Fury confirmed.

"He's right. The portal is collapsing on itself." Selvig said. "We've got maybe two minutes before this goes critical."

"Well, then." Loki said, looking to Clint. Clint shot Fury in the chest before Ellie could react, causing the Director to drop to the ground, losing his grip on the briefcase.

"I'm not letting you leave." Ellie said, creating a energy barrier between Loki and the door. Clint shot her as well and she was relieved that she had worn her bulletproof vest. The jolt had caused her to lose focus for a fraction of a second and the barrier was down.

"Take her." Loki commanded and Clint grabbed a fistful of her hair, dragging her beside him. She struggled against him but whatever Loki had done to him made him stronger.

"We need this vehicles." Clint told Agent Hill, who raised an eyebrow at his hold on Ellie. "She's responsible for this. She's under my guard."

"Who is he?" Hill said, referring to Loki.

"I don't know. They didn't tell me." Clint said.

"_Hill! Barton turned! Take him down!_" Fury's voice came over the radio.

Clint shoved her into the back of a truck with Loki. The Asgardian held the spear at her throat. The agent floored the gas but it wasn't long before Hill was on their tail, along with several other agents. Loki aimed his spear at one of the vehicles, firing and blowing them up. Ellie created a force field around the SHIELD agents but Loki had enough of her interference and struck her with the spear. The blow caused her to lose consciousness and fell to the bed of the truck. The force field protecting the agents flickered briefly before it fell.

From his spot on the truck leaving with the last of the personnel, Phil watched in horror as the base collapsed into the ground. He tried to stay calm as he tried to raise Ellie on her radio. "Agent Johnson, do you copy?"

All that answered him was static. He took several deep breaths. Their romantic relationship was strictly classified. No one of but Fury knew about it and it needed to stay that way. If a hostile found out about a super and an agent being in a relationship, Fury seemed convinced it would be dangerous for all parties involved.

"_Coulson, get back to base. This is a Level Seven." _Fury said over the radio. _"As of right now, we're at war." _

At the base, Fury pulled Coulson aside. "Ellie's been captured. I need to know you can keep it together."

Phil held his breath but nodded. "What do we do?"

"We're assembling the Avengers. When we get Johnson back, she's going to be on the team." Fury said. He placed a hand on Phil's shoulder. "We will get her back." 

**A/N: Thanks for reading everybody! I hope you enjoyed this chapter and thank you for adding this story to your favorities/follows/ and for reviewing. Feel free to leave a review on your way out. It's always appreciated. xo**


	8. Chapter 8

Phil's talk with Tony Stark to get him briefed on the others went well and now he was escorting Steve Rogers, a.k.a Captain America, to the _Helicarrier_. Under normal circumstances, he would have been thrilled but his mind kept drifting to Ellie and the small black crushed velvet box in his pocket. Had the Tesseract not awoken, Phil had planned to take her to their favorite brunch spot and ask her a question. _Ellie, will you ma- No. Can't just blurt it out. You have to build up to it. Ellie-_

"So," Steve said, drawing Phil out of his thoughts. "This Dr. Banner was trying to replicate the serum they used on me?"

"A lot of people were." Phil said with a shrug. "You were the world's first superhero. Banner thought gamma radiation might be the key."

"Didn't really work out for him." Steve replied.

"When he's not that thing though, the guy's like a Stephen Hawking." Phil said. At Steve's confused look, he elaborated. "He's like a smart person."

Steve put down the tablet and Phil opened his mouth to speak again. "I've got to say, it's an honor to meet you. Officially." _This is going good. Don't be creepy. _ "I've sort of met you. I mean I watched you while you were sleeping." _Good job not being creepy. _"I—I mean I was present while you were unconscious from the ice. It's just a huge honor to have you on board."

"I hope I'm the man for the job." Steve walked several short steps to look out of the cockpit window. Phil joined him, mimicking the other man's stance.

"You are. Absolutely." Phil said quickly. "We've made some modifications to the uniform. I had a little design input."

"The uniform?" Steve asked. "Aren't the stars and stripes a little old fashioned?"

"With everything that's happening, the things that are about to come to light, people could use a little old fashioned." Phil said. Steve didn't say much more for a while, allowing Phil to rewrite and rehearse his speech about a million more times. _Ellie..._

Whatever Loki was working on, he didn't want Ellie to see it. While the others were working, she was kept in a separate room, her arms tied behind her and her black fingerless gloves securely on. She assumed the reason he took her was for the Tesseract like abilities she was capable of. It had taken her the better part of the last two days to finally cut through the ropes with her long fingernails and she took a moment to massage her wrists while assessing her escape. Flexing her fingers, Ellie crossed to the door and placed her hands on the spot where the lock should be. Closing her eyes to concentrate, she made a tiny energy field inside the lock, shrinking it and growing it in necessary spots until she heard the tumblers click in place and the lock disengage. She listened to the hall before opening the door and once she was satisfied no one was there, Ellie opened the door.

She shoved her gloves in her pocket and made her way down the hall, listening carefully. Her glowing blue eyes made her appearance similar to Clint and Selvig's so that would buy her a moment if she got caught. But she couldn't leave here without those two either. Natasha would kill her if she left Clint and to be honest, Ellie was more scared of Natasha than Loki. Peeking around a corner, she saw dozens of SHIELD's enemies crowding around a large glass box. Inside the box was Erik Selvig and the Tesseract. Loki was sitting away from the commotion, seemingly in some sort of trance. Ellie straightened her shoulders and cleared her throat as she approached Clint.

"I need your help." Ellie told him.

"What is it?" Clint asked. He was looking for iridium, according to the tablet like device he held in his hand.

"Boss says there's something outside. We need to take care of it." Ellie lied.

"I have said no such thing." Loki's voice came from behind her.

_Damn. _Ellie cursed inwardly but turned to face him. Loki smiled at her and it made her nerves jump uneasily.

"The Tesseract has shown me so much." Selvig told Loki fondly. "It's more than knowledge. It's truth."

Loki smiled once more and turned to Clint. "What has it shown you, Agent Barton?"

"My next target." Clint said, walking over to the case that held his bow. He pulled out the weapon and, with a gesture, made it full size.

"What do you need?" Loki asked.

"A distraction. And an eyeball." Clint replied.

Loki nodded and grabbed Ellie's arm, taking her back to her holding room. Inside hung a green dress, one that matched very similarly to the green of his clothes. "Get dressed."

Ellie eyed the fabric and noted the corset like backing to the bodice of the dress. Her best bet to get Clint and Selvig out was to play along with whatever Loki had planned. "I can't."

Loki gritted his teeth and stared her down. She met his gaze and the gesture was either brave or stupid. "It wasn't a request."

"I can't tighten the corset strings by myself." Ellie clarified. "I'm going to need help."

The Asgardian gestured to the dress once more but made no movement to leave. It took Ellie a long few seconds but she realized his meaning. "I'm not changing with you here."

"If it would make you happier, I could turn my back." Loki was almost gentlemanly.

"Please." Ellie said, wondering what his end game was.

Loki did as he said he would and turned so she could dress. Ellie let out a breath but unzipped her sweatshirt and folded it, placing it neatly on the ground. Her boots followed and then her shirt and pants were next. She made a point to fold them all to irritate Loki but he made no motion to let her know if he was annoyed. The dress was beautiful and the fabric soft as she stepped into it, pulling it up. The skirt was long and flowed around her knees and ankles. The top was strapless but she was not going to remove her bra. Loki would just have to deal with it. She held the top up with one arm and cleared her throat. Loki turned and crossed the small space between them.

"This will not do for where we are going." Loki said. His fingers were cold as he unhooked her bra strap and waited for her to remove it, which she did reluctantly. "We could have a beautiful partnership if you would cooperate."

"I don't help men who have killed innocent people." Ellie replied. Loki's fingers worked the strings of the corset, tightening them and pulling the wind out of her words.

"Just think of what we could accomplish, you and I." Loki pulled another section of strings tight. His breath was cold on her neck as he spoke. "Both of us could rule this world. I, as King and you as the Queen."

"I don't want to be a queen." Ellie said.

"Every woman dreams of being a queen, Midgardian or no." Loki said. He was finally finished with the corset and tied it off. He had noticed Ellie's braid in her hair and pulled out the hair tie, brushing through the soft red locks with his fingers. He turned her to face him and used his magic to apply makeup to her face, but only enough to bring out the beauty in her features. "Especially one as beautiful as yourself."

"What do you want from me?" Ellie asked, not daunted by his words. The door opened before Loki answered and Clint stood there with a black shoe box. He handed the box to Ellie and left without a word. Loki had done too thorough a job with the corset and it would be difficult to put the shoes on. He seemed to realize the problem because he took the box from her grip and knelt in front of her, buckling the delicate strap around her ankle.

"There is power within you." Loki said as he stood. With her new pumps, she stood eye to eye with him. "One that could be used to both of our advantages."

"How?" Ellie had to admit she was curious. "By hurting people?"

Loki smirked and motioned to the door. "After you."

She wasn't sure exactly how it happened but when Ellie walked out of the door of the building, she was standing in Germany with Loki by her side, his scepter in his hand. They walked toward a beautiful museum and Loki had changed into a suit more fitting for Earth. He used the scepter as a walking stick and extended his other arm to Ellie. When she didn't take it, he paused in his steps and tucked her arm through his, giving her a pointed look when she attempted to pull away. They resumed their walk into the building, beautiful stringed instruments playing as they entered and walked down a marble staircase. The closer they got to the guard at the bottom of the stairs, the quicker Loki made his pace and dropped Ellie's arm. He flipped the scepter in his hand and struck the guard in the head with it without breaking his new stride. The crowd gasped and backed away from Loki as he grabbed the curator and shoved him roughly backwards, flipping him over a piece of art and landing him on his back. Loki pulled a device from his coat and Ellie ran forward, yanking at his arm as he lowered it, the blades whirring.

"You can't do this, Loki!" Ellie grunted. Loki silenced her with a backhanded slap that knocked her back a few steps. Even with the Soldier Serum in her cells, the slap made her head spin and made her unable to save the curator. She screamed at the spectators watching in horror. "Get out! Run!"

The crowd followed her orders and cleared the building quickly but this seemed to please Loki. He grabbed her by her arm, yanking her to her feet and made her come with him as he left the museum. Loki's clothes changed to his Asgardian armor which included, in Ellie's opinion, a ridiculous looking helmet. His steps were slow and determined and he wrapped Ellie's arm around his own once again. A siren wailed as a police car approached and Loki fired his scepter at it, causing it to turn on end. Ellie used a controlled energy blast to put the back end on the ground enough to let the driver use the brakes.

There were hundreds of people in the parking lot and in the area in front of the museum, all of them screaming and panicked. Loki conjured several more Lokis to fence in the group. "Kneel before me."

"I said," Loki said, striking his scepter against the ground. The light shone from all five of the Lokis surrounding them. "KNEEL!"

The group fell to their knees and Ellie prayed they wouldn't provoke him. Loki dropped her arm as he opened his arms, accepting their kneeling and smiling, walking through the crowd. "Is not this simpler? Is this not your natural state? It's the unspoken truth of humanity, that you crave subjugation. The bright light of freedom diminishes your life's joy in a mad scramble for power, for identity. You were made to be ruled. In the end, you will always kneel."

Ellie was silently praising the silence of the humans as she stood where Loki had left her. Then a movement caught her eye. An older man was standing up. She muttered under her breath. "No. Please don't."

"Not to men like you." His German accent was strong.

"There are no men like me." Loki said, proudly.

"There are always men like you." The man replied simply.

Loki chuckled softly and raised his scepter. "Look to your elder people. Let him be an example."

Ellie formed a force field around the old man as a flash of red, white, and blue fell in front of him, deflecting the bolt of energy away from him and back at Loki, knocking the Asgardian to the ground. Ellie saw who had come to the rescue: none other than Captain America. Loki stood angrily as the Captain spoke.

"You know, the last time I was in Germany and saw a man standing above everybody else, we ended up disagreeing."

"The soldier." Loki was amused. "The man out of time."

"I'm not the one who's out of time." Steve said. A SHIELD jet arrived, lowering the gun in the jet, and Ellie knew that Natasha would be flying it.

"Loki, drop the scepter and stand down." Natasha's voice ordered over the PA system. Loki responded by firing at the jet and the Captain threw his shield at the Asgardian, hitting him in the chest as the crowd ran.

"Go!" Ellie said, helping those who fell. "Get somewhere safe!"

She looked back to the fight and saw that the Captain's blows weren't doing much to actually hurt Loki but that Loki was able to knock the Captain down. The scepter was pressed against the Captain's helmet as Loki growled, "Kneel."

Captain was catching his breath and took a second before responding, pushing the scepter off his head and roundhouse kicking Loki in the head. "Not today."

When Loki threw the Captain for the third time, Ellie stepped in, hitting Loki with a blast of her energy that knocked him back a few yards as loud rock music started to play loudly. Loki watched Ellie carefully as the Captain and the newly arriving Iron Man took a spot on either side of her.

"Make your move, reindeer games." Iron Man said. Loki raised his hands in surrender, eyeing his scepter a few feet away from him. "Good move."

"Mr. Stark. Miss Johnson." Captain America said, acknowledging his companions.

"Captain." Ellie and Tony said together, then nodded at each other.

They put Loki on the jet and boarded it themselves, heading for the _Helicarrier._ Ellie was more than a little uncomfortable in the corseted dress and asked Natasha if she had extra clothes, to which the agent replied in the negative. Ellie huffed and remained standing, her hands on her hips. Loki was silent.

"I don't like it." Steve said in a hushed whisper to Ellie and Tony.

"What, Rock of Ages giving up so easily?" Tony replied in the same hushed tones.

"I don't remember it being that easy." Steve said. "This guy packs a wallop."

"Still, you are pretty spry for an older fellow." Tony said. "What's your secret? Pilates?" At Steve's confused look, he elaborated. "It's like calisthenics. You might have missed a thing or two while doing time as a Capsicle."

"Fury didn't tell me he was calling you in." Steve said after a beat.

"Yeah, there's a lot of things Fury doesn't tell you." Tony said. He turned his attention to Ellie. "Green's your color."

"Thanks." Ellie smiled sarcastically as lighting flashed and thunder rumbled. Loki looked uneasy at the new storm. Actually he looked scared and Steve asked him this.

"I'm not overly fond of what follows." Loki said, looking at the roof warily. A few seconds later a thud sounded on the roof and jolted the plane. Tony and Steve put on their helmets while Ellie opened the hatch, ready to join them when a blond man with a red cape and hammer landed on the ramp. Loki looked terrified as this man, Thor (his brother) came on the plane, smacking Iron Man with his hammer. Thor grabbed Loki from his seat and walked to the edge of the ramp, using his hammer to fly.

Tony groaned. "Now there's that guy."

"That guy's a friendly?" Steve asked, helping Ellie up from where she had fallen.

"Doesn't matter. If he kills Loki or frees him, the Tesseract's lost." Tony said, walking to the ramp.

"Wait. We need a plan of attack." Steve shouted over the storm.

"I have a plan." Tony said. "Attack."

With that he jumped off the ramp and Steve grumbled under his breath as he grabbed a parachute. Ellie grabbed one as well, fastening it around her chest. "You might want to wait here, ma'am."

"Whether I want to or not, I can't." Ellie spoke loud enough to be heard over the thunder. Her heels clicked as she walked to the ramp. "Last one down is a rotten egg."

Steve didn't know whether to groan or chuckle as she jumped and he followed her lead. They could see flashes of light and bolts of energy as Thor and Tony fought each other. Trees were being felled faster than Ellie could believe when she finally landed, her heels sinking in the dirt. She fired a warning bolt of energy at Thor and Tony, not enough to hurt them but enough to get their attention. "Can we stop with the fighting now, please? I don't know what you're doing here..." 

"I've come to put an end to Loki's schemes." Thor said angrily.

"We all want the same thing." Steve chimed in. "Just put down the hammer and we can talk."

"No. Don't mess with his hammer." Tony warned quickly. "He loves his hammer."

"You want me to put the hammer down?!" Thor shouted. He raised his hammer and leapt the several yards between himself and the Captain, bringing said hammer down on his shield. A blast of energy covered the woods in a matter of seconds, knocking the men to the ground. Ellie was safe inside a force field she had made, releasing it when the men were lying on the ground and grumbling to themselves.

"Are we done now?" Ellie asked as they stood. None of them answered. "I'm going to take that silence as a yes. Then let's go."

**A/N: I meant to get this chapter up a couple days ago but I got the flu then I went to Comic Con. You all forgive me, don't you? I knew you would so extra cookies for all of you. Thanks so much to the many new followers and favoriters to this story. I hope you all enjoy this chapter. Please feel free to leave a review on your way out. It's always appreciated. **

**OASN: Loki is not falling in love/in love with Ellie in any way, shape, or form. He merely thinks that she would be a better asset if she helped him willingly. I didn't want any confusion there. Anywho, I love all of you guys. xo**


	9. Chapter 9

As soon as they landed on the _Helicarrier_, they were met with an armed escort to take Loki to a cell. Ellie headed for her quarters so she could change only to be redirected by Natasha to the bridge. She fidgeted uncomfortable as she sat down next to Captain America, only barely able to contain herself at the realization that she was sitting next to her favorite hero. She discreetly scanned the bridge looking for Phil but didn't see him.

"In case it's unclear," Director Fury's voice said via the video feed they were currently watching as he spoke to Loki. "If you try to escape, if you so much as scratch that glass, it's a 30,000 feet straight down in a steel trap. You get how that works?"

"It's an impressive cage." Loki admitted. "Not built, I think, for me." 

"Built for something stronger than you." Fury corrected.

"Oh, I've heard." Loki looked at the cameras. "A mindless beast. Makes play he's still a man."

Ellie kept her gaze on the screen, trying very hard to not awkwardly stare at Bruce.

"How desperate are you? That you call on such lost creatures to defend you?" Loki continued.

"How desperate am I?" Fury asked. "You threaten my world with war. You steal a force you can't hope to control. You talk of peace and you kill because it's fun. You have made me very desperate. You might not be glad that you did."

"Ooh. It burns you to have come so close." Loki taunted Fury. "To have the Tesseract, to have power, unlimited power. And for what? A warm light for all mankind to share. And then to be reminded of what real power is."

Fury held Loki's gaze a long few seconds before speaking. "Let me know if 'real power' wants a magazine or something."

The video screens went dark as Fury left and the group exchanged glances. Bruce spoke first. "He really grows on you, doesn't he?"

"Loki's going to drag this out." Steve said. "So, Thor, what's his play?"

Thor had been deep in thought during the entire discussion between Fury and Loki. "He has an army called the Chitauri. They are not of Asgard or any world known. He means to lead them against your people in exchange, I suspect, for the Tesseract."

"An army." Steve said. "From outer space."

"I think he's building another portal." Ellie said, making a conscious effort not to slouch. This corset didn't allow much room for slouching and breathing. "That's why he needs Erik Selvig."

"Selvig?" Thor asked.

"He's an astrophysicist." Bruce said.

"He's a friend." Thor replied.

"Loki has him under some kind of spell." Natasha said. "Along with one of our own."

"I want to know why Loki let us take him." Steve said. "He's not leading an army from here."

Ellie opened her mouth to speak but Bruce interrupted. "I don't think we should be worried about Loki. That guys' brain is a bag full of cats. You can smell the crazy on him."

"Have care how you speak." Thor warned. "Loki's mind may be far afield but he is my brother."

"He killed eighty people in two days." Natasha said.

"He's adopted." Thor corrected.

"Did Loki say anything to you while you were there?" Steve asked Ellie.

Ellie didn't know if the others knew that Tesseract energy was a part of her. While they had seen the force fields and energy blasts, they hadn't seen the Tesseract part of her and she thought maybe Fury would want to keep that a secret. But at the same time, they needed to know. "Loki wants to use me for power as well. He offered me a throne beside him."

"Why would he use you for power?" Bruce asked.

Ellie sighed before speaking. "When I was eighteen, I was held and experimented on. I was injected with the same Super Soldier serum that you were, Captain, but with one difference."

"And that was?" Steve spoke this time.

"Somehow they had added a part of the Tesseract's energy to the serum." Ellie said, raising her hands. A nameless agent had brought her a pair of gloves. "The Tesseract changed my genetic makeup and is part of me. These gloves keep me from hurting others."

"Loki wants a controlled source." Steve said. "What did you tell him?"

"I told him I don't help men who have killed innocent people." Ellie said.

"I think it's about the mechanics." Bruce said. "Iridium. What do they need iridium for?"

"It's a stabilizing agent." Tony said, entering the bridge with Phil. Ellie smiled at the agent as he nodded at her. "It means the portal won't collapse on itself like it did at SHIELD."

Tony walked on the bridge like he owned the whole boat. He tapped Thor's shoulder twice as he walked past him. "No hard feelings, Point Break. You've got a mean swing. Also, it means the portal can open as wide and stay open as long as Loki wants."

Stark walked to the screens where Fury usually stood. "Raise the mizzenmast. Jib the topsails." At the collective glare of the agents working, Tony said, "That man is playing _Galaga._ Thought we wouldn't notice but we did."

Ellie coughed back a chuckle when she realized that Steve had no idea what Galaga was, even though he was pretending to.

"Agent Barton can get his hands on the rest of the raw materials pretty easily. All that's left is to find a power source of high energy density." Tony said. "Something to kick start the cube."

"When did you become an expert in thermonuclear astrophysics?" Agent Hill asked.

"Last night." Tony replied. "The packet, Selvig's notes, the extraction theory papers. Am I the only one who did the reading?"

"Does Loki need any kind of particular power source?" Steve asked, less than amused at Tony's attitude.

"He would have to heat the cube to 120 million Kelvin just to break through the Coulmb barrier." Bruce said, pacing in small steps as he thought.

"Unless Selvig has figured out how to stabilize the quantum tunneling effect." Tony said, almost like a test as he walked toward Bruce.

"Well, if he could do that, he could achieve heavy ion fusion at any reactor on the planet." Bruce said.

"Finally, someone who speaks English." Tony said.

"Is that what happened?" Steve said to himself and Ellie chuckled.

"It's good to meet you, Dr. Banner." Tony said, shaking his hand. "Your work on anti-electron collisions is unparallelled. Oh, and I'm a huge fan of the way you lose control and turn into a big, green rage monster."

"Thanks." Bruce said half heartedly.

"Dr. Banner is only here to track the cube." Fury said, coming onto the bridge. "I was hoping you might join him."

"I would start with that stick of his." Steve suggested. "It may look magical but it works an awful lot like a Hydra weapon."

"I don't know about that." Fury said. "But it is powered by the cube. And I would like to know how Loki used it to turn two of the sharpest men I know into his personal flying monkeys."

"Monkeys?" Thor asked. "I do not understand-"

"I do." Steve interrupted. "I understood that reference."

"Johnson go with them." Fury commanded. "I want you to see if you can help them locate the Tesseract."

"How am I supposed to find it?" Ellie asked.

"You felt it when the energy spiked." Fury said. "See if you can detect any other spikes."

"I will but for the love of all that's holy, can somebody cut me out of this thing?" Ellie asked as she stood. Fury didn't look overly amused and Ellie excused herself, her heels clicking as she walked to her room. She had pulled out a new set of clothes when her door opened again and Phil stood in her room.

"I thought you could use some help." Phil smiled at her.

"Just the man for the job." Ellie said and turned her back to him, pulling her hair over her shoulder so he could untie the strings of the corset. "Did you have Cap sign your trading cards?"

"I asked him to. We'll just have to wait until he gets the time." Phil said. "Did he do anything to hurt you?"

"Nothing I couldn't handle." Ellie assured him, taking a deep breath as she was finally free. One arm was holding up the dress to prevent it from falling at her feet as she turned. "Thanks."

"No problem." Phil said, putting one hand on the back of her neck and pulling her forward so he could kiss her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back. Her dress would have fallen had they not been standing so close.

"Phil." Ellie said against his lips, her fingers in his hair. "I'm supposed to help Stark and Banner."

"They can wait." Phil said. He picked her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist as he pushed her against the wall, his lips moving roughly against hers. He had been worried sick about her since her abduction and wasn't ready to let her go just yet. Ellie felt her tongue dance against his and it caused her to shiver. When Phil abandoned her lips in favor of her neck, she emitted a breathy moan and her eyes fluttered closed. He spoke, his lips brushing her neck as he did so. "I was scared I wouldn't see you again."

Ellie opened her eyes and held his gaze as he placed her back on the ground but kept his body pressed to hers. "I will always come home to you. Every time."

"I need to talk to you about something." Phil said, his voice still low.

"Are you okay?" Ellie asked. "Is something wrong?"

"No. I just-" Phil started to say when his radio interrupted him. "I have to get to the bridge but I'll come find you later."

"It's a date." Ellie smiled at him. She watched him leave and changed quickly, pulling on her jacket as she opened the door. She almost bumped into Steve who had his hand raised as though to knock. "Oh. Hello, Captain. Did you need something?"

"I wanted to talk to you about the serum that was used on you." Steve said. "If you wouldn't mind talking about it."

"Of course not." Ellie said, inviting the Captain into her room. "It's been ten years since that happened so what would you like to know?"

"How exactly did you get ahold of the serum? I thought when Abraham died, the formula died with him." Steve declined the chair that was offered to him.

"It was the grandson of Erskine and the grandson of Schmidt. Erskine had the formula and Schmidt had a bit of Tesseract energy." Ellie said. "They mixed well and chose me for their experiment."

"Did it work?" Steve asked.

"You saw what happened in Stuttgart. What do you think?" Ellie offered a kind smile. "Phil and I used to read things like this in our comic books. When we were little, we never dreamed we would meet the one and only Captain America."

"Phil? Agent Coulson?" Steve clarified.

"Yeah. He's been my best friend for the last twenty two years." Ellie said. "Look, I'm supposed to try to help find the cube, so I need to get to the lab. Do you want to walk with me?"

"It'd be an honor." Steve said.

"I think 'honor' might be going a bit far." Ellie said, closing the door behind her. "I'm just me. Nobody special."

"Erskine told me the serum only works on a special kind of person." Steve said.

"_Johnson, change of plans." _Fury's voice came over her comm. _"You're going to talk to Loki."_

"What do you want me to say?" Ellie asked, shooting an apologetic look at Steve.

"_Whatever you have to."_

"I guess I have to go." Ellie said to Steve. "Keep out of trouble, Cap."

"Steve." He corrected with a half smile.

"You can call me Ellie, if you'd like." She said. "See you around, Steve."

Loki was sitting in his cage when Ellie arrived and he gave her a charming, but chilling, smile. "Have you come already?"

"Already?" Ellie asked, her head cocked to the side quizzically. "If I had known you were expecting me, I'd have come sooner."

"No doubt." Loki said.

"Since you were expecting me, what do you think I'm going to say?" Ellie asked, approaching the glass cell.

"You're here to ask my plans." Loki said. He stood and walked over to face her.

"That's what they wanted." Ellie admitted. "I was curious about why you chose me for your possible queen."

"The power of the Tesseract flows through you." Loki said. "A king as great and worthy of myself could only have one as powerful as you as my queen."

"Would I get to wear pretty dresses? Throw a lot of fancy parties?" Ellie asked.

"Whatever your heart desires." Loki said. His tone was almost seductive when he spoke. "The people of the world tending to your every want and kneeling at your feet."

"What happens if anyone disobeys?" Ellie asked. "You kill them? Slaughter hundreds of people in your attempt at a throne?"

"I am a king!" Loki shouted.

"You're a child who's throwing a tantrum." Ellie countered.

"Humans are slaughtering themselves in droves. I mean to rule them and keep them from doing so." Loki said. "They are flawed, murderous, and deserve a worthy king."

"Damn right we're flawed." Ellie said. "We make mistakes and yes, some do murder others but we will never bow to a temperamental, childish dictator. I've seen what you do to those who dare disagree or cross you and you are a monster."

"Oh no." Loki corrected. "My dear, you brought the monster."

"What?" Ellie muttered to herself, his meaning clicking a second later. "You're going to try to unleash the Hulk? It won't work. Banner can control himself."

"Are you willing to bet your life on that assessment?" Loki asked.

She didn't get a chance to respond because the _Helicarrier_ shook, knocking her to her feet as a loud explosion sounded. Ellie got to her feet as Fury told her to help Rogers and Stark get the now exploded engine working again. "On my way, Director."

**A/N: Thanks to all for reading/following/favoriting/reviewing. Every single of one of those actions is appreciated. Please feel free to leave a review on your way out. I don't bruise easily but if you are going to post negatively, please be constructive about it. I love getting criticism but it's only helpful when it's specific. Anywho, thanks for reading. xo**


	10. Chapter 10

Phil knew exactly what he had to do when hostiles invaded the _Helicarrier._ He made his way to the weapons bay and let the scanner read his eye print. Once he was allowed into the bay, he picked up one of the weapons Fury had created to help protect the world against aliens. He also knew who the hostiles were coming for: Loki. But he wasn't going to let the Asgardian go. Phil could hear the roars of the Hulk, gunfire from the bridge, and prayed that Ellie was safe as he walked to the detention level.

He felt the ship lunge as they lost another engine and he took a moment to catch his footing then proceeded to the detention level. When he got through with this, he was going to find Ellie and give her the ring that was still in his pocket in front of anybody who was there. He had loved that girl for 22 years and wasn't going to stop any time soon. He was proud to call her his (when Fury would allow it), proud that she was a hero, and proud that she loved him back.

"The humans think us immortal." Loki was taunting his brother, who he had trapped in his cell while Loki walked free, as Phil arrived at the detention level. "Shall we test that?"

Phil only saw one guard with Loki and it was easy enough to take him out. Phil stood, the gun aimed at Loki as he spoke. "Move away, please."

Loki moved away from the control panel, looking from the gun to Coulson then back to the gun. Phil took a few steps forward and kept talking. "You like this? We started working on the prototype after you sent the Destroyer. Even I don't know what it does." Phil started the gun up, the red lights shining inside the barrel. "Do you want to find out?"

Then it was pain. Sharp, tearing, agonizing pain shooting through his heart and chest. Loki had shoved his scepter through his back and heart. Phil cursed himself for not taking Loki's magic into account as he fell to the ground, slumped against the wall, the gun on his lap. Loki walked back to the control panel and pressed the buttons to cause the cell to drop and then Thor was gone.

Each beat of his heart pushed a little more blood through the open wound. Phil knew he wasn't going to get out of this alive. It was hard to breathe and his arms were stiff, he didn't know how he would possibly move them.

Loki started to walk away and Phil had to stop him. "You're going to lose."

That stopped him. Loki turned and faced Phil. "Am I?"

"It's in your nature." Phil said. _Keep him talking long enough for backup to arrive. _

"Hmm?" Loki asked. "Your heroes are scattered. Your floating fortress falls from the sky. Where is my disadvantage?"

"You lack conviction." Phil said. _You can fire this gun once. Make it count. _ His finger curled around the trigger, the slight movement causing his muscles to tire even more.

"I don't think I'm-" Loki was cut off as Phil managed to pull the trigger. The gun fired and sent Loki through the wall in a burst of flame like energy.

"So that's what it does." Phil said to himself. He couldn't move anymore now. Breathing was harder, even blinking made him ache. The temperature of his skin had dropped and he felt cold. His heart was slowing and the edges of his vision was starting to blur. Was that metallic, sticky smell coming from him, from his blood? The gun was heavy, weighing down on his legs that put them to sleep. He wanted to hear her voice one last time, his hero, his one true love and soul mate but he couldn't lift his arm to activate his comm. He called out weakly for her. "Ellie."

It wasn't Ellie who found him though. It was Director Fury and the eyepatched man knelt in front of him. "Sorry, boss. The god rabbitted."

Fury took the gun from his lap. He wasn't willing to lose this agent. "Just stay awake. Eyes on me."

"No, I'm clocking out here." Phil said.

"Not an option." Fury commanded.

"It's okay boss. This wouldn't have worked if they didn't have something to avenge. " Phil said, the tears in his eyes spilling over and his voice breaking. "Can you just tell her that I love her?"

"Tell her yourself." Fury said.

"She's the best thing to happen to me." Phil was starting to get tired now. It was getting hard to keep his eyes open. "I was gonna ask her to marry me..."

"You'll get the chance." Fury said. He wouldn't admit it but he thought of Ellie like his own daughter and the love between Phil and Ellie was truly something that happened once in a lifetime. "Just stay awake."

"Ellie, I lo-" Phil felt the last bit of life in him slip away and he sank into the darkness.

Fury got up and allowed the medical team to examine Phil, calling his time of death. With a deep breath, the Director activated his comm. "Agent Coulson is down."

Ellie felt her heart pound when an agent said, "A medical team is on their way to your position."

"They're here." Fury's voice came back. "They called it."

Ellie's stomach flipped and she dropped to her knees on the catwalk where she stood with Steve and Tony having successfully restarted the engine. Her stomach heaved and she vomited the contents over the side of the hole in the ship. Steve, knowing only that Phil had been her best friend, helped her up when her stomach was empty. She shoved him away and took off on shaky legs to the med bay, tears filling her eyes. "Please don't be dead. Anything but dead."

"Ma'am, you're not allowed to be in here." A doctor told her when she finally made it. He blocked her way but she wasn't going to let this ass clown in her way. She pulled her gun and aimed it at his head.

"Let me through or I _will _kill you." Ellie promised. The doctor, with his hands up, moved out of her way and Ellie put her gun down. She looked through the med bay, finding Phil's body on the last bed, still dressed in his suit. Staining the front of his favorite blue shirt, one that she had gotten him, was blood. "Phil. Come on. It's time to go get Loki."

Phil, of course, didn't respond. Ellie felt the tears start to flow down her cheeks. "Come on, Phil. It's time to be heroes. Don't leave me. Please."

"Ma'am, I'm afraid you have to leave." A nurse said.

"Phil, wake up." Ellie pleaded with her love, ignoring the nurse. "I can't do this without you."

"Security, we have a situation here." The nurse called for back up.

"You can't leave me." Ellie paid no attention to the security guard currently trying to drag her away. She held on tight to the lapel of Phil's coat, her voice breaking as she screamed. "You can't be dead! NO! LET ME GO! I CAN'T LEAVE HIM!"

It took three security guards to get Ellie to the bridge. Fury wanted to talk to her, Steve, and Tony. The men were present already when Ellie was shoved into her chair, face stained with still falling tears and eyes red. Fury had Phil's Captain America trading cards in his hand.

"These were in Phil Coulson's jacket. I guess he never did get you to sign them." Fury threw the cards at Steve and Ellie sniffled when she saw they were stained with blood.

Ellie sobbed as she stared at the cards, one mouth covering her hand to muffle the sound.

Fury sighed. "We're dead in the air up here. Our communications, location of the cube, Banner, Thor...I got nothing for you. I lost my one good eye. Maybe I had that coming. I was playing with something very risky. There was an idea, Stark knows this, called the Avengers Initiative. The idea was to bring together a group of remarkable people, to see if they could become something more. To see if they could work together when we needed them to, to fight the battles we never could. Phil Coulson died still believing in that idea. In heroes."

"The only hero I believe in is Phil Coulson." Ellie said, her voice shaking and full of tears. Tony got up and left. Ellie stood to follow his lead when Fury pressed something into her hand.

"He also had this in his jacket." Fury said.

Ellie kept her hand closed until she got to where he died. She wasn't allowed back in the med bay. She saw the blood stain against the wall and sat on the floor next to it, looking at the small box in her hand, not brave enough to look at the ring inside. Tony joined her, standing where the entry to Loki's cell would have been. They sat in silence, the only sound that filled the room was Ellie's sobs and sniffles. Steve joined them a little while later.

"Was he married?" Steve asked.

"No." Ellie said, clearing her throat and holding up the ring box. "He hadn't had a chance to ask me yet."

"I'm sorry." Steve sounded sincere. "He seemed like a good man."

"He was an idiot." Tony said.

"Why? For believing?" Steve asked, his arms crossed.

"For taking on Loki alone." Tony said.

"You could have told him exactly what would happen and he would have done the same thing." Ellie said.

"He was out of his league." Tony said, walking toward Ellie and helping her up. "He should have waited. He should have..."

Steve met them in the middle of the catwalk. "Sometimes there isn't a way out, Tony."

"Right. I've heard that before." Tony said, walking past the Captain.

"Is this the first time you've lost a soldier?" Steve asked.

Ellie slapped Steve hard across the face. "I just lost the man I've been in love with for 22 years. He wasn't a soldier and neither am I."

"I'm not marching to Fury's fife." Tony said, once Ellie had quieted.

"Neither am I." Steve agreed. "He's got the same blood on his hands that Loki does. But right now we've got to put that behind us and get this done. Now, Loki needs a power source. If we can put together a list..."

"Loki made it personal." Tony said.

"That's not the point." Steve countered. 

"That is the point." Tony said, his mind racing. "That's Loki's point. He hit us all right where we live. Why?"

"Tear us apart." Steve said.

"Yeah, divide and conquer is great but Loki knows he has to take us out to win." Tony said. "That's what he wants. He wants to beat us, he wants to be seen doing it. He wants an audience."

"We saw what he did in Stuttgart." Ellie said, clutching the ring box tightly.

"Yeah but that's just previews. This is opening night." Tony said. "Loki's a full tilt diva, right? He wants flowers, wants parades. He wants a monument built to the skies with his name-"

They all thought the same thing. Stark Tower.

"Son of a bitch." Tony said.

"You should get suited up." Steve told Ellie.

"I can't do this without Phil." Ellie said, the tears finally stopping and the numbness moving in its place.

"You have to." Steve said. "Until we get this done, you need to move past this and mourn later. Can you do that?"

Ellie finally nodded after a few minutes and went to suit up. Before, the black armor had always made her feel safe, protected. Now she felt like she was going to a funeral. She placed the ring box carefully in one of the pouches and sealed it. Steve was right. The time for mourning was later; right now she had to find a way to stop Loki. Before she went to the hangar, Ellie stopped by the med bay once more. Fury had commanded the doctors and nurses to give her time with Phil if she wanted it, so the personnel stayed out of her way.

Ellie stared at Phil's face. It looked like he was sleeping and she half waited for him to snore. "Phil, we're going into battle and I don't know if I'm going to come back. I don't know what I'm going to do without you." Ellie closed her eyes and kissed his lips for the last time, the tears starting anew, falling onto Phil's cold cheek. "I love you."

With that, she straightened her back and went to the hangar, ready for battle.

**A/N: I'm not going to lie to you guys. I cried while writing this chapter. Please review because I'd like to know what you guys thought of this chapter in particular. **

**Rylee: I hope this answered most of your questions. Thanks for reviewing. **


	11. Chapter 11

Clint was the one who piloted the jet they stole from the _Helicarrier_, with Natasha as his co pilot. Ellie sat on the edge of her seat, eyes closed and taking slow, deep breaths. She could feel the energy buzzing over her skin and felt the Tesseract energy just below the surface of her skin. She wasn't in control of herself and this was one time that she desperately needed to be.

"_Find a happy place." _ She could hear Phil's voice coaching her in her head. _"Do you remember our senior prom?"  
_

"You had food poisoning." Ellie said softly, not aware that she was speaking out loud. "Halfway through the prom, you puked on my dress."

"_You were the most beautiful girl there." _

"You have to say that." Ellie whispered, her eyes still closed.

"_Only because it's true." _She could almost hear him sigh. _"I wish I could come with you." _

"Me too."

"_I love you." _

"I love you too."

Steve watched the exchange she had with herself, not sure if she was in the right mental capacity to go into this fight. But when she opened her eyes, he could see she was focused. "You okay?"

"Yeah." Ellie nodded once, fingering the bracelet that Phil had given her. "Do we have a plan?"

"Find the Tesseract and close the portal if it's open." Steve said. "Keep the people safe."

"You make it sound so easy." Ellie said and Steve chuckled.

"Probably easier said than done." Steve admitted.

"Oh my God." Ellie said as she saw out the front window. There were already dozens, quickly turning into hundreds, of Chitauri coming through the portal.

"Stark, we're on your three." Natasha alerted Tony.

"What did you stop for drive thru?" Tony snapped. "Swing up Park. I'm gonna lay them out for you."

Natasha followed his words and Tony brought several Chitauri into their path. She fired the jet's gun at them, taking out almost all of them. When they saw Loki and Thor fighting their own battle on Stark Tower, Natasha aimed for Loki. Loki pushed Thor away and fired a blast at the jet, knocking out the side engine and causing the jet to crash. Ellie and Steve clung to the railing inside of the jet, trying not to get tossed around the cockpit as they crashed.

The civilians were in a panic, screaming and running, as the four Avengers ran out of the now crashed jet.

"We gotta get up there." Steve said.

"Tony said there was an energy barrier surrounding the Tesseract." Ellie said, thinking quickly. "If I can get up there, maybe I can absorb it and shut it down."

"Have you ever done that before?" Clint asked.

"No. But the Tesseract is part of me and I don't have a better plan." Ellie said.

"That could kill you." Steve said.

"It could also not kill me." Ellie countered. She stopped talked when she saw a Chitauri worm (for lack of a better phrase) coming out of the portal. It was a behemoth of an alien and dozens of Chitauri warriors launched themselves off it, attacking the occupants of the surrounding buildings. "How do we take that out?"

"Stark, are you seeing this?" Steve asked.

"Seeing." Tony confirmed. "Still working on believing. Has Banner shown up yet?"

"Banner?" Steve asked, confused.

"Just keep me posted." Tony said.

Ellie saw another Chitauri battalion headed their way, firing their weapons and causing cars to explode. The citizens running weren't paying attention to where they were going, heading right into the blast. Ellie threw a energy field around them, protecting them from the Chitauri but also simultaneously causing the Chitauri to explode if they hit the field, which several of them did. "Guys, if I'm going to get up there, I need to do it now. I can't take care of the barrier and keep these fields up."

"Go." Natasha shouted to be heard over the chaos. "We've got this."

Ellie nodded once and put up an energy field around her as she ran toward Stark tower. She had to stop when she was cornered by a Chitauri group and sent out an energy blast that took out any Chitauri in a ten block radius, the aliens dissolving into nothingness in a blast of blue energy. "Stark, can I get a lift?"

"You got it." Tony said. "Heading your way."

A second later, Tony had the back of Ellie's armor in his grasp and she was rising up to the top of Stark Tower. Selvig was standing guard of the Tesseract.

"Erik, we can stop this." Ellie said once Tony had released her.

"There's no stopping this." Selvig said, a smile on his face. "She wants to show up something. She wants to show us a new world."

"There are people down there being killed." Ellie shouted. "Innocent people."

Natasha had told Ellie how she released Clint from Loki's spell: hitting his head really hard. So that's what she did. Ellie sprinted at Selvig and punched him hard enough that he flew back several feet, smacking his head on the ground.

"That takes care of that." Ellie said, turning her attention to the barrier. She took a several quick deep breaths, bracing herself, as she placed her hands against the barrier. "This is, undoubtedly, the worst idea I've ever had."

"_It's the only one you have right now." _Phil's voice echoed in her mind.

"Here goes nothing." Ellie opened her mind and the energy barrier jolted through her. She clenched her teeth, trying not to scream and focusing on distributing the energy throughout her body.

"_You have to hold on." _

Ellie felt like her body was burning from the inside out. This was worse than when she was first injected with the serum and it didn't seem to be making any difference in the strength of the barrier. Even though she had taken out Selvig, she hadn't noticed Loki heading her way as she was preoccupied with the barrier.

"Move away." Loki commanded. Ellie barely heard him through the fog of pain, focus, and power coursing through her.

"_A little bit longer, El." _

"I can't do this, Phil." Ellie grunted. "It's too much."

"_You have to. I know you can."_

"How are you doin' up there, Ellie?" Steve asked her through their comms.

"Could use a little help." Ellie groaned through clenched teeth. She barely finished talking when she felt a large crash behind her.

"Enough!" Loki shouted. She didn't know if it was to her but she didn't respond. "You are, all of you, beneath me. I am a god..."

He was silenced by several loud smashes in a row then silence.

"Puny god." Ellie heard the Hulk growl.

She couldn't take anymore of the energy and Ellie dropped her hands, panting for breath. Steve had been right, this was going to kill her.

"The scepter." Selvig said weakly.

"Erik?" Ellie asked, still trying to catch her breath.

"Loki's scepter." Selvig said. "The energy. The Tesseract can't fight, you can't protect against yourself. You can't take anymore of that energy. You'll kill yourself."

"What does the scepter have to do with it?" Ellie asked.

"I built in a safety to cut their power source." Selvig admitted. "It may be able to close the portal."

"Where's his scepter?"

"Down there." Selvig pointed and Ellie dragged herself to the edge of the Tower, spying the scepter on the balcony.

It had taken a lot of strength that Ellie hadn't known she had to climb down to the balcony, then back up to the roof.

"_Come on. You're almost there."_

Ellie was distracted by a behemoth worm heading toward the Tower, crashing into several buildings on the way. She used the energy she had absorbed and made an energy barrier inside the creature's stomach, expanding it until the thing blew up from the inside out.

"_Close the portal, Ellie. You're running out of time." _

Selvig told her to aim the scepter at the crown and she did, slowly pushing the scepter through what was left of the energy barrier. "Guys, I can close the portal."

"Do it!" Steve said.

"No. Wait." Tony said.

"These things are still coming in." Steve said quickly.

"I got a nuke coming in. It's gonna blow in less than a minute." Tony said.

"Send it my way." Ellie said. "I can contain the blast."

"I know where to put it." Tony said. "Just don't close the portal until I get there."

"Stark, you know that's a one way trip." Steve said somberly.

Ellie's arms were shaking and she was having trouble standing but kept the scepter pointed at the base of the Tesseract, waiting for Tony's signal. He sped past her, guiding the missile up through the portal, disappearing for what felt like hours but was really only a few minutes.

"Come on, Stark." Ellie muttered.

All over the city, the Chitauri started powering down. Tony must have hit his target with the missile because they heard an explosion.

"Close it." Steve said.

Ellie pushed the scepter and hit the base, disrupting the energy beam and causing it to stop. The portal closed and at the last moment, Tony fell through.

"_You did it. I'm proud of you." _

"Couldn't have done it without you." Ellie said softly.

The shock and exhaustion of the last twenty four hours started to hit her as she left Stark Tower. She wasn't sure exactly how she made it to her and Phil's apartment, or how her building was unscathed, but she unlocked the door and went inside. She didn't care that she was covered in dirt and sweat or that her body had energy burns in several places.

"We won, Phil." Ellie said, going into their bedroom and laying down on the bed. They hadn't made it from the last time they used it. She could still smell him on the sheets and she just lay there, staring at where he should be laying. If she could cry anymore, she would have but her mind and body couldn't handle what had happened. She could feel herself shutting down and she didn't care.

**A/N: You guys are awesome. I've had a ton of views on this story since I've started it and a wonderful response to it. Thanks to everybody who reviews/reads/follows/favorites this story. I know I didn't really focus on the Battle of New York, but I'm rubbish at writing battle scenes. Anywho, please leave a review on your way out. They're always appreciated and like I've mentioned before, I don't bruise easily. Be brutal if you'd like. xo**


	12. Chapter 12

Three days after the Battle of New York, Nick Fury knocked on Ellie's door, a black garment bag draped over one arm. The knocking was just a polite gesture and when Ellie didn't answer, as expected, he used the key he had made to her lock. The apartment was well lit, with vases of flowers littering the counters and the dining room table. He tossed the garment bag on the back of the couch and found Ellie on the bed. She was still in her uniform and still covered in dirt.

"Get out of bed Johnson." Fury's words were commanding but his tone was gentle. "That's an order."

"Go away." Ellie's voice was soft.

"He wouldn't want you to do this. He wouldn't want you to shut down." Fury said.

"I don't know what else to do." Ellie admitted.

Fury sighed. "There's a memorial for Coul—Phil—in a couple of hours. You should be there. He should be remembered by the ones who loved him the most."

"What about his body?" Ellie asked. "Can I say goodbye?"

"You know our protocols. You know that you can't." Fury said. "Memorial's in two hours and Hill sent over something for you to wear."

Without another word, Fury left, locking the apartment behind him. The memorial was buzzing with dozens of agents and the Avengers. There was an open bar and a podium where the other agents could talk about Phil if they wanted to. He had made a lot of friends in SHIELD. Nobody had seen Ellie, though.

"Do you think she'll show up?" Tony asked Clint, a glass with some scotch in his hand. They were listening to an agent tell a story of a prank that Phil had played on them.

"Can you blame her if she doesn't?" Clint countered.

"Should someone go get her?" Steve asked Tony. "Maybe check on her?"

"She just lost the love of her life." Pepper chastised them. "Give her some space."

The room had gone silent and the Avengers looked around, trying to find the source when they spotted Ellie in the door way. After Fury had left, Ellie had lain in bed for a while longer but then got up, showered, made her hair and makeup presentable, then put on the dress Fury had left for her. It was black with long sleeves that covered her palms and had thumb holes cut out of it. The skirt fell to her knees and a pair of black pumps had been left but she opted for ballet flats, finishing off the look with one of Phil's zippered sweatshirts. She held her head high as she walked through the crowd of agents.

The agent speaking quieted as Ellie walked up to the row of chairs set up and sat down. She gestured for the agent to continue speaking. Next it was the Avengers turn. None of them really knew Phil so they said generic nice things about him and then it was Ellie's turn. The podium was a few short steps away and she clutched the cheap wood tightly. Letting out a shaky breath, she started to speak.

"I've known Phil Coulson since I was six years old. After complaining to his mom that I was a girl," -there were a few scattered chuckles- "He asked me if I liked Captain America. I said, 'yeah. He's my favorite.'" She saw Steve smile a little half smile and she sniffled before clearing her throat and continuing. "Phil always believed in heroes, he wanted to be a hero for as long as I can remember and what I think he didn't realize is that he was my hero. Not the kind that comic books are written about but he was to me. He would always protect me, even if he got hurt in the process." Her eyes started to water but took a deep breath to steady herself. Her voice broke when she spoke again. "He was my first kiss, my first love, my first everything and I was his. I keep expecting him to come home with a bag full of Thai food and we'd camp out in the living room, eating takeout and catching up on _Supernanny._" She let the tears fall and toyed with the bracelet hidden under her sleeves, a few seconds later she covered her eyes with her hands and sobbed. The first one to comfort her was Pepper, taking the sobbing girl in her arms and hugging her tightly.

"It's going to be okay." Pepper repeated softly, tears in her own voice. "You're going to be okay."

One by one the rest of the Avengers approached their team mate and put their hands on her shoulder or back, showing that they were there to help her, that they were a team. The rest of the agents gave the Avengers some privacy, filing out of the room. Ellie felt the others let go of her and looked up to see Nick Fury standing in front of her. "I'm sorry, Director. I tried to finish my speech."

Fury's response was to hand her a tissue and squeeze her shoulder gently. "You did him proud."

The Director left and Pepper put her arm around Ellie's shoulders. "You can come stay at Stark Tower with us for a while."

Ellie shook her head. "No, thanks. Everything of Phil's is at my apartment: all his comics, collectibles, and the photo albums are there. I can't leave all that already."

"Bring it with you." Tony suggested. "New place might help you move on faster."

"Tony!" Pepper scolded.

"Thanks but no." Ellie laughed at Tony's offended look. She wiped her eyes and blew her nose. "I think I'm going to go. I can't handle all these people staring at me."

"You're right." Tony said, putting down his glass and clapping his hands together. "Let's move this party back to your place."

"I am so sorry about him." Pepper groaned as Tony walked away.

"It's okay but I think I'm going to leave before he gets any ideas." Ellie said. She thanked the others and quietly made her way outside and flagged down a cab.

"Are you sure you don't want one of us to come with you?" Steve had followed her outside to the curb.

"I'm just going to look through the photo albums." Ellie said. "It's really not necessary."

"I'd feel better if you'd let me keep you company." Steve said sincerely. She seemed unsure so he amended his comment. "For a few hours, at least."

Ellie thought for a few minutes then nodded. A cab pulled up to the curb and he held the door open for her as she slid in. He slid in the seat next to her and she gave the driver her address. She unlocked the front door and flicked the lights on. "Excuse all the flowers. People keep sending them."

"It's fine." Steve said, looking at the framed pictures on the shelves. There were dozens of pictures of Ellie and Phil, a few of them in formal clothes but most of them were silly. Even though neither of them could get drunk, Ellie poured them both a scotch.

"Phil liked pictures." Ellie handed him a glass and took a drink from her own. "I do too but he wanted to capture everything."

Steve saw a picture of them on Halloween when they were 16 and dressed up as Captain America and Catwoman and smiled. "He was really a fan, huh?"

"The biggest. We both were." Ellie said, smiling at the picture. She caught Steve looking at her and blushed. "This is really embarrassing."

"What is?" Steve asked.

"Talking to my favorite superhero about my childhood crush on him." Ellie said. If she didn't know better, she'd have said the scotch was making her feel a little better.

"Crush?" Steve chuckled.

Ellie was relieved when the doorbell rang and she answered it, revealing Tony, Pepper, Natasha, Clint, and even Bruce. Clint had a big box of assorted takeout containers in his arms.

"You invited the Capsicle to the party but not me?" Tony feigned hurt. "That hurts, Ellie, that hurts."

"I didn't expect you guys to be here." Ellie said, putting her glass down and taking the food from Clint, placing it in on the kitchen counter. "Steve wanted to make sure I was all right."

"Well, the fun has arrived now." Tony said, examining her stereo and CDs.

Pepper roller her eyes and sighed. "Tony doesn't know how to let people be. We just wanted to make sure you are okay. Director Fury told me you hadn't eaten in a few days so we brought food."

"You guys didn't have to do this." Ellie said.

"You're part of the team." Steve said. "We're with you til the end of the line."

**A/N: The next chapters will be Ellie developing friendships and moving on with her life. Thanks to the new followers/favoriters/readers/reviewers. You guys are amazing. Please feel free to leave a review. They're always welcome. xo**

**Rylee: I'm glad you enjoyed the battle chapter. Thanks for leaving two reviews on two separate chapters. You rock. **


	13. Chapter 13

It was hard to pinpoint the moment when Ellie started to feel like herself again but she knew it had everything to do with her friends and team mates. Pepper was the one who helped her pack up Phil's collectibles and clothes when Fury came to collect them several weeks later. He let her keep most of the comic books since she and Phil had spent most of their lives collecting them. After they packed everything up, Pepper brought her over to Stark Tower and they ordered dinner and spent time with Tony. Steve had become one of her close friends, which excited Ellie's inner fangirl more than she was willing to admit. While Steve and Tony were making slow progress on becoming civil with each other, Ellie made it a point to not be around both at the same time, often making plans with Steve when Tony was busy.

"You want to what?" Pepper asked, taking a sip of her wine.

"I want to dye my hair." Ellie repeated.

"But it's such a beautiful color." Pepper said.

"I think it's time for a change. I could use one." Ellie said. "There's a drugstore down the street. I can pick up some dye and be back in fifteen minutes."

"Oh, no." Pepper said, setting her class down. "If you're going to dye your hair, you're going to have it professionally done. That boxed stuff can turn out horrible."

"I think it's worth the risk." Ellie chuckled.

"What color were you thinking?" Pepper asked.

"She'd look good as a blonde." Tony said, looking up from his newest version of his suit. "Maybe draw a bit of attention from the glowing blue eye thing you have going on."

"I think he's right." Pepper said, picturing Ellie as a blonde. "You would look good as a blonde."

"Think there's any salon's open right now?" Ellie checked the time on her phone. It was almost midnight and she highly doubted any salon was open.

"We can go first thing tomorrow." Pepper suggested. "Then your hair can be freshly colored for the benefit this weekend."

"I don't think I'm going to go." Ellie admitted.

"What? Why?" Pepper asked.

"I've never really been to a benefit before." Ellie said. "ComicCon yes, but never a fancy party. Plus I don't have a date."

"I bet Steve would be your date if you asked." Pepper said, taking another drink of wine.

"I don't think Steve's going either."

"Capsicle's already RSVP'd in the positive." Tony interjected. "Also not bringing a date."

"Thanks Tony." Ellie said sarcastically. "Speaking of Cap, I should go. I have an early training session with him."

"Keep it rated PG please." Tony teased. "I just bought that gym."

He was rewarded with a throw pillow thrown a little too hard at his head. Ellie said goodbye to Pepper and headed home. Taking a taxi would have taken less time but she liked walking. She thought back to the conversation about Steve. Anybody with eyes could tell he was attractive but Ellie wasn't ready for anything new. It had been almost two months since the Battle of New York and Phil's death but the idea of dating was foreign to her. She was going to be 28 this weekend and she had only been with one man in her life so she didn't really know what to do. She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't even realize that she had reached her apartment until she was unlocking her door. She cleared her mind and crawled into bed.

"You distracted today?" Steve asked Ellie, helping her up after knocking her down in the boxing ring. "You don't usually let me get in any hits."

"Just a little tired." Ellie put her arms up defensively, waiting for Steve to strike. "I was talking with Pepper most of last night."

She avoided his gloved fists and managed to land a few hits of her own before sweeping her leg under his feet and knocking him on his back. "I think you're taking it easy on me, Gramps."

Steve chuckled and got back to his feet. "Just want to make you feel like you're doin' all right."

"That sounds like a challenge." Ellie taunted.

"Maybe." Steve said with a smile. While the punching bag was good for his aggression he had to admit that it was more fun to actually box with someone, especially someone that he didn't really have to hold back on. The pair sparred until Pepper came to pick Ellie up a few hours later.

"Do I have time to shower?" Ellie asked, climbing out of the ring.

"Of course." Pepper smiled.

"Give me five minutes." Ellie bolted for the gym shower and true to her word, she was back in five minutes, hair still damp. "Thanks for the fight, Steve."

"See you tomorrow?" Steve asked, unwrapping his hands.

"She can't tomorrow." Pepper said before Ellie could speak. "She's helping me finish planning the benefit this weekend."

"Oh. Okay." Steve said. "I can just use the bags."

"I didn't have any plans to help you." Ellie told Pepper once they were outside. "Did I?"

"Not real plans per se but we have to find a dress and a mask for you." Pepper said as they got into the car.

"I don't understand why it has to be a masquerade." Ellie said.

"It's fun." Pepper promised.

That was how Ellie found herself with freshly dyed blonde hair, a beautiful red gown that clung to the right places, and a jeweled red mask covering most of her eyes. Pepper had managed to convince her to wear heels as well and Ellie was regretting that decision as she practiced walking in them, waiting for the car to arrive. She heard a knock at the door and answered it, surprised to find Steve on the other side, wearing a black mask and a tuxedo.

"Wow. You look beautiful." Steve said. He hadn't seen her blonde hair yet and combined with the glowing blue of her eyes, it was stunning.

"You look pretty good yourself, Cap." Ellie smiled. "Not that I'm not happy to see you, but what are you doing here?"

"Pepper asked if it was all right if we arrived together. She told me she talked to you about it."

"She hadn't but that's all right. Let me grab my coat." Ellie picked up her clutch and wrap that went with her dress and followed Steve to the limo. "Tony's going all out for this benefit, huh?"

"Apparently so." Steve said, glancing out the window before returning his attention back to Ellie with a smile. "I haven't seen you around the gym."

"Yeah, Pepper wanted to make sure we found the 'perfect dress' for the benefit." Ellie sighed. "Personally I would rather have been boxing."

"Well, I think it was worth missing a few lessons." Steve said.

"Thanks." Ellie smiled and blushed slightly as the limo slowed and the driver opened the door, allowing the pair to step out. They smiled at the photographers standing outside as they made their way into the large building. Ellie had trouble recognizing the other guests due to the masks but Tony was easy to identify. He was wearing his Iron Man mask. She found Pepper by the dress she was wearing and was walking over to say hello when Tony spotted her.

"Let's say hello to the birthday girl, Miss Ellie Johnson!" He said loudly into a microphone and a spot light landed on Ellie, causing her to shield her eyes with her hand.

"Do you like it?" Pepper practically squealed when Ellie finally reached her.

"I thought this was a charity benefit." Ellie said.

"I knew you wouldn't come if you knew we planned a birthday party." Pepper explained. "Do you like it?"

Ellie sighed but smiled. "Yes, of course. Thank you."

The pair hugged and the band started to play. Steve claimed her for a dance, both of them stumbling through the music due to lack of rhythm and knowledge of how to dance. The duo laughed at their mistakes and decided it would be beneficial for the others on the dance floor if they took a break. They went to the bar and got some champagne and Ellie looked at the large birthday cake that had been set up near the bar.

"What flavor do you think it is?" Ellie asked Steve, nudging him with her elbow.

"I think Stark said it was chocolate." Steve replied.

Ellie spied a spoon behind the bar and snatched it when the bartender looked away, giggling conspiratorially. "Do you want to find out?"

Steve chuckled and followed her lead as she snuck around to the side of the cake closest to the wall. She dug the spoon into the spongy pastry and then put the spoon in her mouth. She chewed then swallowed the cake before giving him a spoonful of his own and speaking. "You're right. It's chocolate."

"It's a rich chocolate." Steve said, his mouth partly full and wiping the icing from the corner of his mouth.

"Could you expect anything less when Tony is involved?" Ellie asked, tossing the spoon back on the bar as they rejoined the other guests. "I can't believe they did this for me."

"Starks love extravagance." Steve said with a shrug. "Do you want to dance again?"

"Sure." Ellie accepted his hand and they managed to get through half a song without hurting anybody.

"May I cut in?" A masked stranger asked Steve. After an accepting nod from Ellie, Steve relinquished his date to the stranger.

"You look lovely tonight." He said as he slipped an arm around her waist and took her hand in his.

"Thank you. I don't think I caught your name." Ellie said. His mask covered most of his face so it was hard to tell who he was as they moved to the music.

"Brian." He introduced himself.

"Ellie."

"The birthday girl." Brian smiled at her, his brown eyes twinkling. "How young are you tonight?"

"28." Ellie couldn't help but smile back at the handsome stranger. He was easy to feel comfortable with.

"I'm sorry to have stolen you from your boyfriend." Brian said. "I hope he's not the jealous type."

"Steve's just a friend." Ellie corrected. The music stopped and they applauded the band before Brian retrieved drinks for them.

"Would you like to get some air?" Brian asked, gesturing to the balcony.

"Sure." Ellie followed him through the crowd, careful not to spill her drink. It was quieter on the balcony and the stars twinkled brightly.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Brian asked, gazing at the sky.

"What do you do for a living, Brian?" Ellie asked, setting her drink down.

"A lot of different things, I suppose. I'm a collector, mostly."

"What do you collect?"

"Things that others tend to discard as old or useless." Brian took her hand in his. "There is beauty in things that are different." He brushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear, leaving his hand on her neck. "What do you do for a living?"

"I'd tell you but I'd have to kill you." Ellie teased. The pair chuckled softly and a smile remained on their lips as they gazed into each other's eyes. "I swear I know you from somewhere."

"I wish that were true but it isn't." Brian said. He let his thumb stroke the skin on her neck as he leaned in to kiss her.

"I—um-" Ellie's words made him pause a millimeter away from her lips, his breath mingling with hers. "I don't usually kiss strange men on balconies."

"I'll consider myself a lucky first." Brian said softly, closing the distance between them and pressing his lips against hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck and heard herself moan when his tongue danced against her own. He pulled her close and put his arms around her waist, holding her close. When they finally pulled away, they were panting for breath. Brian reluctantly released her and plucked a single red rose from the vase placed on the balcony. "Happy birthday."

Brian kissed her hand before he turned and left her on the balcony. Ellie watched him go until Steve came to reclaim her.

Once he was clear of the guests of the building, Phil Coulson took off the mask covering his face and took out the brown contacts in his eyes. He had wanted to see Ellie on her birthday but knew he wasn't the one who could actually see her, hence the disguise. If Fury found out, Phil would be in big trouble but it was worth it. Phil went to their—her—apartment and placed a cupcake on the kitchen table.

**A/N: You guys are awesome. Thanks to all who review/follow/favorite/read this story. Each and every one of you are appreciated. Reviews are always welcome and like I've said before, I don't bruise easily. **

**Rylee: I like to think they would be. :) Thanks for reviewing. **

**Tomb: I've already sent you a PM but I wanted to thank you here as well. :)**


	14. Chapter 14

Ellie was bored out of her mind. Now that she was no longer an agent (a technicality since she was in the Avengers) she didn't go on normal missions until Fury was convinced of her mental stability. Proving that she wasn't going to fall apart required countless hours of therapy and monitoring.

"How are you feeling?" Ellie's therapist, Dr. Brown, asked.

"Fine. More like myself every day." Ellie said, tapping her fingers together. "I'd like to go on missions."

"Have you looked at the ring yet?" Dr. Brown watched Ellie's face fall slightly.

"No." Ellie said.

"I've told you that it would help give you closure to look at it. It's been nine months since he died. Aren't you ready to move on?"

"I have moved on. I told you I'm feeling better." Ellie said.

"Then why haven't you looked at it?" Dr. Brown asked.

"I don't know. I just haven't." Ellie stammered.

"May I have it?" Dr. Brown extended her hand, waiting for Ellie to drop the box she always carried into the doctor's hand.

Ellie reluctantly pulled the box from her jacket and placed it on the table in front of her, ignoring the therapist. Dr. Brown sat back in her chair and watched her patient as she stared at the box. She waited a few minutes before she spoke. "I don't have any other appointments today, Ellie. Take your time."

"I don't understand why I have to do this." Ellie didn't look at Dr. Brown.

"It will help you see the last piece of Phil." Ellie flinched at his name. "It'll help you move on and you can go on missions again."

Ellie let out a deep breath and opened the ring box slowly. Resting on the silk inside sat a beautiful solitaire diamond with two rubies on either side of it. She smiled slightly at the ring and lifted it out of the box and just looked at it, a wave of different emotions going through her at once.

"How does it make you feel to have finally looked at it?" Dr. Brown asked.

"Honestly?"

"It'd be preferred."

"Like a weight has been lifted off my chest." Ellie said, unclasping her necklace and slipping the ring on the chain, re clasping it around her neck. She felt a little better with the ring around her neck.

"I'll send my report to Director Fury with my recommendation. It will be up to him if you go back in the field." Dr. Brown said, making some notes on a clipboard.

"Thanks." Ellie left the therapist's office and went for a walk. Halfway on her walk to nowhere in particular, she became aware of somebody following her. She took a right turn into an alley and ducked behind a dumpster before her follower saw her do so. Her follower walked carefully down the alley, passing her without seeing her until Ellie grabbed his throat and pinned him against the wall. She recognized him a second later. "What the hell Stark?"

"It was just a test." Tony chuckled, brushing off his suit when Ellie released him. "Just seeing if all your skills are up to snuff."

"They are." Ellie confirmed.

"Glad we got that cleared up." Tony said. "There's something I've been meaning to ask you."

"What?" Ellie followed him to his car and got in next to him.

"You really can't get drunk?"

Ellie laughed. "That's right."

"Right. Well, I've been working on something that I'd like you to try." Tony handed her a bottle and gestured for her to take a drink.

She sniffed the contents of the bottle, cringing her nose. At Tony's further insistence, she took a drink. "It tastes like gasoline."

"I know, right?" Tony snickered at her disgusted look.

"Then why make me drink it?"

"I want to see what happens."

"Just because I'm not Phil, doesn't mean that I won't tase you." Ellie threatened. "In this case, I'm the taser."

"Simmer down Electra." Tony said, glancing out the window.

"You know, for a stickler for details like yourself, you seem to forget I'm not an electric power."

"It's all energy." Tony shrugged. "I don't think the press cares either."

Ellie groaned. The newspapers had christened her "Electra", much to her dismay. She didn't want a hero name, she didn't want to be called a hero. She didn't believe in them. The car stopped and she opened the car door. "This isn't my apartment, Tony."

"Actually, it is." Tony smirked as he glanced up at Stark Tower. "The rest of the group thinks it's beneficial for us all to be in one place."

"What about Cap?" Ellie asked with a quirked eyebrow. Steve and Tony didn't exactly get along.

"We're still working on him." Tony admitted.

"Thanks but no thanks." Ellie said, turning to leave.

"Wait!" Tony called after her. He tossed the liquor bottle to her and she caught it easily. "I expect a drunken phone call later. Make it funny if you can."

"I'll do my best." Ellie said in a sarcastic, but kind, voice. "See you later, Stark."

Ellie had to admit that she was curious about the alcohol Tony had given her as she unlocked her apartment and tossed her jacket on her bed. Her curiosity got the best of her and she poured a portion of the alcohol into a glass. She did notice that the gasoline taste seemed to lessen the more she drank. She also noticed that she was a little more giggly and dialed Tony's number.

"Tony, you're a genius." Ellie said, her words slurring slightly.

"What a lush." Tony chuckled. "You've barely been home for two hours."

"I've never been drunk before." Ellie giggled. "Is it always like this?"

"Until the next morning." Tony said.

"Okay." Ellie stayed quiet for a few minutes. "Well, bye."

She hung up on Tony and poured herself another drink while her other hand dialed a very familiar number.

"_You've reached Agent Phil Coulson. Leave a message and I'll get back to you."_

For whatever reason, his voicemail and phone number were still active, probably due to Ellie still paying their phone bill. Right now, drunk Ellie didn't care.

"Phil! Guess what? I'm drunk for the first time ever! Tony figured it out and this is amazing." Ellie was silent for a few seconds as she realized that he would never hear this message. Her voice caught in her throat. "I miss you so much. I don't know how I'm supposed to move on. I...didn't even get to say goodbye." Ellie started to cry into the phone and sniffled. "The answer was yes, by the way. I would've married you in a heartbeat. If there is...any way that you can come home. If by some miracle you hear this, please come back to me."

She hung up the phone and flopped stomach down on her couch, falling asleep in minutes. Meanwhile, Phil accessed his previous voicemail with a few keystrokes and listened to the voicemail Ellie had left. He was curious as to how Tony managed to get her drunk but that was beside the point. His heart broke when he heard her crying and when her message ended, Phil made a call to Director Fury.

"I want her on my team." Phil said bluntly.

"She's not a level 7." Fury countered easily.

"I don't care." Phil said. "You said I could pick my team and I choose her."

"She's just starting to recover." Fury said. "Her therapist has finally cleared her to go back in the field."

Phil pressed a few buttons on his computer and let Fury listen to Ellie's message. "Does that sound like someone who's recovered?"

"She's not level 7." Fury repeated.

"I work better with her and she works better with me." Phil stared at the Director, holding his gaze. "Please."

"Phil, I'm sorry. I really am." Fury said. "But she's part of the Avengers and not a level 7."

Fury left the video chat and Phil sighed, his eyes watering. He had handled it well when he had been told he could never see his soulmate again. He had handled it well when they told his mother he had died. Knowing that Ellie needed him and there was nothing he could do about it—well, that felt like he was being stabbed all over again.

Ellie was abruptly awoken the next morning by Nick Fury shouting in her living room.

"Get up, Agent Johnson." Fury's voice boomed. Ellie rubbed her eyes and sat up on the couch.

"Morning, Director. Do you want some coffee?" Ellie asked with a yawn.

"No. You're going on a mission." Fury said and Ellie smiled. "We have a two man team going into South Ossetia. Agent Victoria Hand hasn't planned an extraction for them and that's where you come in."

"What are the names of the agents?" Ellie asked.

"Agent Grant Ward and Agent Leopold Fitz." Fury said. "Suit up. Your plane leaves in half an hour."

"Yes sir." Ellie put on her uniform and made it to the airfield in twenty minutes. The ride was shorter than she expected or maybe that was just because she was excited to be going back in the field after a long time of being out.

"The agents are going in to disable the Overkill Device." Fury briefed her via comm. "The Device can access any of our weapons and use them against us."

"Let's hope they get the job done." Ellie said.

"Just get those agents home." Fury said.

"Director, who's the commanding officer of their team?" Ellie asked.

"That's classified." Fury said.

Ellie slipped on the mask that Fury had insisted she wear before she was dropped several miles from the extraction zone. When she reached her spot, all she had to do was wait for the signal. She didn't have to wait long when she saw one of them signaling her with their flashlight. Fury told her not to signal back just in case there were hostiles watching. She started to work her way in, using a stun energy blast to knock out any guards that were a threat.

Ward and Fitz were easy enough to find once she located the Device.

"All right. Show me the final steps to disable this thing. I'll get it done." The taller agent, Ward, said.

"No. Stick to the extraction plan. I'll be done in a minute." The shorter agent, Fitz, said, working to disable the device.

"The extraction plan's a bust." She heard Ward say. "The exfil team never made contact."

"Well, that's just insulting. Agents Ward and Fitz?" Ellie quipped, causing Ward to turn around with his gun aimed at her chest. "Easy tiger. I'm the extraction team."

"That's Electra." Fitz said when he turned to look at her. "Who would've thought that they would bring in one of the Avengers?"

"I guess you guys are near and dear to Fury's heart." Ellie said, rolling her eyes at the use of her 'hero name'. "Get this done and let's get you guys home."

"Good plan. I'm bloody starving." Fitz turned his attention back to the Device. Finishing disabling it a few minutes later. Ward activated the remote beacon to let SHIELD know that they were successful.

"Let's get out of here." Ellie said as Fitz pulled out the main part of the Device. Alarms started to sound as he did so and Ellie was a little excited to see combat again.

"We need a new plan." Ward and Fitz said together.

"Nope." Ellie popped the 'p' sound. She could feel the energy buzzing over her skin as hostiles flooded into the warehouse where the Device was kept. "You guys get out of here. I'll cover you."

"We aren't going to leave you here." Fitz protested.

"It's my job to get you out." Ellie retorted. "Let me do my job. Go!"

Ellie took out several of the hostiles with a controlled stun blast, leaving only four hostiles left. They began shooting at her and, thanks to the newly modified uniform, several bullets found their marks in her abdomen before she could get a forcefield up. She cried out but managed to disarm one more hostile before two of the other hostiles dropped their weapons. She glanced behind her to see that Fitz had rigged the Device to work against the hostiles and Ward took care of the last hostile.

"Let's get out of here." Ellie shouted over the noise of SHIELD starting their attack on the facility. She wrapped her arm around her abdomen as she covered the two agents as they ran outside.

"You'll lose too much blood like this." Fitz said as they ran. "We need to bind your wound."

"I'll be fine." Ellie said but she was getting paler. She heard the jets of an airplane when they got clear of the building and her vision got fuzzy. Her knees threatened to buckle but she locked them as she ran, ignoring the blood pouring from her wounds. The trio made it onto the ramp of the airplane and she felt the ramp rise when her legs gave out and her vision went black. Ellie collapsed onto the floor of the airplane, unconscious from blood loss.

"Oh no." Phil said, running and dropping to his knees next to her. "Ellie."

**A/N: Four reviews on one chapter? You guys rock and since you were so responsive to the last chapter, I shall give you this one early. Please leave a review and thanks to all who read/follow/favorite/review. Those emails make my day. I love all of you. **

**Tombs: A thousand smiles back at you, doll. ;)**

**Guest 1: I'm glad you like the Phil and Ellie pairing. Coulson is just so adorkable it's hard to believe there's not more Phil-centric stories out there. :)**

**Niiroya: Well, he is a sentimentalist. :)**

**Guest 2: Your wish is my command. :)**

**If there are any particular requests as to the Phil/Ellie reunion, please feel free to PM me or leave a review. If all goes to plan, there will be a new chapter up in the next couple of days. Happy Easter everybody!**


	15. Chapter 15

Phil picked Ellie up and carried her to Fitz-Simmons lab, placing her on the exam table. He didn't care that her blood stained his suit as he wiped away the cold sweat on her forehead. "Help her, Simmons."

"I'll do what I can, sir." Simmons promised. She cut away Ellie's uniform, a difficult task but luckily they had the equipment to do it, and started the exam. Only one of the bullets had an exit wound, the other two were still inside of her. Simmons anesthetized the area and started to remove the bullet fragments. Fitz made everybody leave the lab while Simmons worked and Phil paused before he left.

"She can't know that I'm here." Phil told Fitz. "That's classified. Do not say my name, do not say that I am in charge here. That's an order."

"Yes sir." Fitz nodded once.

Phil paced the floor in his office, waiting anxiously for news of Ellie. It was taking longer than anticipated to remove all of the fragments in Ellie's stomach and unfortunately, the anesthetic started to wear off. Ellie felt Simmon's equipment inside her as she started to regain conciousness and a scream passed through her lips before she could stop it.

"Fitz! Hold her down!" Simmons said as Ellie's back arched in pain. She only had two fragments left and couldn't risk nicking a blood vessel or artery. "Get her to be still!"

"Listen to me." Fitz said loudly. Ellie bit her lip to keep herself from screaming as Simmons continued her work. He was holding her shoulders down and he could see the pain in her eyes. "If you don't stay still, Simmons could hit an artery and you will die."

Ellie's response was a groan and a whimper. Fitz spoke again. "Find a happy thought."

"I don't have one anymore." Ellie said roughly. "He's gone."

"I've got it!" Simmons exclaimed proudly, dropping the last fragment into a pan. She started to stitch up Ellie's wounds and injected her with another anesthetic that allowed her to sleep. Simmons had been more concerned with getting the bullet out and stopping the bleeding when the painkiller initially wore off. Simmons had another team member, Skye, help her dress Ellie in a gown since she had cut off her uniform.

"Will she be all right?" Skye asked Simmons once they had covered Ellie's body.

"I believe so." Simmons said. "Although, it would be more helpful if I had her file."

"Here." Phil handed it to Simmons as he walked into the lab. "Should have everything you need."

"Thank you sir." Simmons said, opening the file and scanning it quickly.

Phil stood next to the sleeping Ellie and raised a hesitant hand to stroke her hair. She had dyed it again since he last saw her a few months ago. Now it was black with a blue tint to it. "How long will she sleep?"

"She needs to rest so her body can heal." Simmons said, still reading the file. "According to this, however, it should be relatively soon."

"How relatively soon?" Phil asked.

"A few hours." Simmons guessed. "With the Erskine serum in her system, her body will heal faster than ours."

Phil's eyes fell to the engagement ring on the chain around her neck and his lips twitched, almost smiling.

"Coulson?" Skye asked. "Who is she?"

"She's one of SHIELD's finest, at least before she joined the Avengers. Technically she's no longer a field agent." Phil said, finally pulling his gaze away from Ellie. "Her name is Ellie Johnson, a.k.a Electra." He glanced at her hands. "Where are her gloves?"

"I had to take them off to get her uniform off." Simmons said, gesturing to the pile of fabric that had been discarded on the table.

"Put them back on." Phil ordered. "She has to wear them at all times."

He took the gloves from Skye as she handed them to him and carefully put them on Ellie's hands. He squeezed her hand gently and stepped away from the bed. "Let me know when she wakes up."

"_Ellie, it's not going to be that bad." Phil promised, straightening his bow tie in the mirror. _

"_I don't understand why you want to go so badly." Ellie said through her closed bedroom door. "It's just prom."_

"_Prom is a right of passage." Phil said with a chuckle. _

"_Prom is stupid." Ellie said. "Besides, you have food poisoning."_

"_I barely have food poisoning." _

_Ellie opened her door and Phil smiled widely when he saw her. Her dress was silver and it shimmered when she walked, the strapless sweetheart neckline showed off the freckles on her shoulders. Ellie reflected his smile but her expression turned to horror when she saw the white of his shirt start to turn crimson. The point of Loki's scepter was pushed through his chest and Phil's eyes widened as he stared at him. Ellie started to scream._

Phil had sent the others away after waiting a few hours for Ellie to wake up. Simmons had come to the lab to finish some tests, working quietly away from the pair. Phil was holding her hand, stroking the back of it with his thumb, watching her eyes dart back and forth as she slept. Both Phil and Simmons jumped when Ellie started to scream in her sleep. The part that startled Simmons was that Ellie was screaming for Phil.

"I'm here." Phil tried to hold down Ellie's arms as she thrashed around in her sleep. "I'm here, El."

Ellie's screams quieted turning into soft whimpers as tears streamed down her sleeping face. "He's gone. He's gone."

Phil felt his throat tighten as he stroked her hair. "I'm right here, Ellie. I'm right here."

Ellie's eyes flew open as she panted trying to catch her breath and she saw Phil staring at her. "I'm dead. I'm dead. I'm dead."

"No, you're not." Phil said, putting one hand on the side of her face so she would have to look at him. "You're alive and here."

"I died." Ellie whimpered as she squeezed her eyes shut. "You're not real. You're not him. You're a ghost."

"Sir, you should go." Simmons advised. "She needs to calm down."

Phil didn't listen to her. "I'm here, Freckles. It's me."

"Sir, please."

"Do you want to play heroes?" Phil asked, trying to make her realize that it was truly him.

"I want to be Cap." Ellie said quickly. She started to catch her breath and register her surroundings or, more importantly, Phil.

"You can't be Captain America." Phil said with a smile. "You're a girl."

Ellie smiled as she realized that he was alive and standing over her, smiling down at her. She sat up slowly and Phil helped her. "You're-"

"I know." Phil said. Ellie wrapped her arms around his shoulders and held him tightly, careful enough to not accidentally crush him. Phil returned the embrace, his own arms around her waist and he was careful of her wounds. Ellie's tears turned into happy tears and her cheeks hurt from smiling so much. Phil rubbed her back and breathed in her scent of lavender.

Ellie pulled away from him after a long few minutes. "I don't understand. You were dead. I saw you. I tried to wake you up."

"SHIELD saved me." Phil shrugged.

"How?" Ellie asked.

"Let's talk about that later, El." Phil said. He resisted the almost overwhelming urge to crush his mouth to hers since Simmons was in the lab. "Right now, you need to rest."

"I'm fine." Ellie was telling the truth. She was a little sore but nothing could hurt her after finding out Phil was alive. "I want to walk around."

"You lost consciousness." Phil countered.

"Well, I'm awake now." Ellie said, swinging her legs over the side of the bed.

"Still stubborn as ever." Phil muttered as he helped her stand up. "Can we get her some clothes?"

"Of course." Simmons smiled.

"You have a plane?" Ellie asked once they were alone. "Fury gave you a plane?"

"Yep." Phil didn't offer a further explanation but smiled. Simmons came back with a pile of clothes and Ellie thanked her. Phil excused himself while Ellie dressed and once she had laced up her boots, she went to find him.

"Fury gave you an expensive plane." Ellie corrected, speaking softly to herself. She stopped Agent Ward as she passed him. "Where's Phil's office?"

Ward escorted her to Phil's office and she knocked on the door frame, smiling at him when he looked up. "Come in."

"So that's what he did with your stuff." Ellie examined the collectibles on the shelf. "Pepper helped me pack everything up for Fury when he came for it. I'm glad it didn't end up in a storage locker somewhere."

"So am I." Phil said, closing the door. They were quiet for a few seconds before Ellie spoke.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Ellie asked.

"I couldn't. You weren't a level 7." Phil said.

Ellie didn't seem overly surprised by his answer. "But I am your best friend."

"I wanted to." Phil said, closing the space between them. "I wanted to come and find you so many times."

"Why now?" Ellie asked. "Fury sent me here to extract your team so he sent me to you. Why now?"

"Because of your message." Phil played it for her. "You deserved to know."

Ellie nodded. "So you didn't tell me because I wasn't cleared but I leave a drunken message and suddenly I am?"

"This wasn't my choice, Ellie. The Avengers needed a common enemy to bring all of you together—"

"You got yourself killed to make the team play nice?" Ellie's voice rose as she spoke. "Have you lost your mind? Putting the Avengers through that...You can't do that to people, Phil."

"It wasn't my plan. I wanted to stop Loki. Fury just made the best out of a bad situation." Phil said. This wasn't how he wanted this to play out.

"A bad situation?" Ellie echoed. "I lost my best friend, the person that I loved most in the entire world and you call that a 'bad situation'?"

"I'm sorry." Phil didn't know what else to say. "But don't forget that I lost the same thing you did. I've been here for the last nine months without you, wanting to reach out but I couldn't. Watching you spend time with Captain Rogers and thinking that you had moved on almost killed me again."

Phil's voice broke and Ellie closed the space between them, hugging him tightly. "There isn't anybody else out there for me. Nobody could take your place. Not even Captain America."

Phil couldn't stop himself from kissing her anymore, taking her face in both his hands as he did so. She responded eagerly and nipped at his lower lip. He growled in response, a sound that Ellie always found extremely sexy.

The video screen chirped, letting them know that someone was calling them. The pair let each other go and took a few moments to calm down before Phil answered it. They had a new mission.

"Come on. Mission briefing in five." Phil told Ellie. She walked past him and he caught her arm so she would look back at him. "We'll continue this later."

"I look forward to it, Agent Coulson." Ellie smiled.

**A/N: Reunited and it feels so good. :) Well, hopefully all of the Phil/Ellie shippers out there are pleased with these turn of events. Please let me know if you'd like any Phil/Ellie smut. I'm happy to give it to you but only if you want it. Thanks to those who have reviewed/followed/favorited/read this story. You guys are all amazing. **

**Littleheartache: Thanks for your review! :) **

**Music Box: I'm glad you think this story is amazing. And you are amazing for leaving a review for me. :)**

**Please feel free to leave a review. They're always appreciated and the reviews make me smile. xo**


	16. Chapter 16

Phil and Ellie discussed keeping their relationship secret once again for the safety of each other. After her speech at his memorial, Fury had most of the attending agents retconned, effectively erasing the knowledge of the relationship. It would be on a need to know basis.

"Don't you think your team should know?" Ellie asked Phil before the others reached the holocom.

"Not unless it's an absolute emergency." Phil said. "If they get caught and tortured, we don't need that getting out."

"You're right." Ellie conceded. She remembered the packet that was in her pocket. She had transferred it when she changed clothes. Handing the small envelope to Phil she said, "I just remembered these belong to you."

Phil opened the envelope and saw his Captain America trading cards, each one signed by Captain America himself. He heard the others coming and kept himself from kissing her. "Thank you."

"No problem." Ellie smiled at him.

Ellie was introduced to the team properly now. There was Melinda May, Skye, Grant Ward, Leopold Fitz, and Jemma Simmons. They all seemed a bit wary but overall welcoming to her.

"What's the mission, A.C.?" Skye asked.

Ellie choked on a giggle and sobered up at Phil's look. He tapped a few buttons and brought up the information. Right now, their mission was to find and talk to a woman named Hannah Hutchens with possible telekinetic powers. Allegedly she made a gas station explode. Ellie found it hard to believe because after ten years with SHIELD and being a super herself, she had never met a telekinetic. Phil wanted to take Skye along so she could see how this part of the job is done. Ellie was definitely going as was Agent May.

"I have a bad feeling about this." Ellie muttered when she and Phil saw the crowd gathered around Hannah's house. "If she is telekinetic, this mob is going to upset her. I think I should be the one to talk to her."

"Without backup?" May asked.

"I can handle anything she could throw at me." Ellie was sure of this. "I know when I first got my powers, a group of SHIELD agents didn't really help."

Phil sighed but relented. "If the situation turns, we're going in."

"Understood." Ellie smiled reassuringly at him and got out of the vehicle. She approached Hannah carefully. There was an officer standing with her. "Officer, is there anything you can do to make this crowd go away?"

"Been trying to but it's a free country." The officer shrugged and Ellie had the distinct sense that he didn't really want to help anyway.

"Miss Hutchens, my name is Ellie Johnson. I'm here because of the strange things you've been witnessing."

"You've come to lock me up?" Hannah asked.

"I'm here to talk." Ellie turned her back to the crowd and made a small bubble field in her hands. "I want to help."

"What good with that do?" Hannah was clearly upset and had been crying. She jumped out of the way when an egg hit her front door and the crowd started to shout "Murderer! Get out of here!"

Hannah had tears falling again and Ellie heard tires squealing. She saw a police car driving itself toward the crowd, effectively causing the crowd to disperse temporarily.

"It's her! That freak tried to kill us!" A woman shouted. Skye, May, and Phil exited the car and handled the crowd.

"Hannah, I know that this isn't in your control." Ellie said, gesturing for the others to stay away. "But I want to get you somewhere safe from all these people. Will you please come with me?"

Hannah nodded and Ellie escorted her back to the SUV. Ellie explained that for safety reasons they were going to have to put her in the interrogation room. Hannah nodded once more but stayed mostly silent when Ellie took her to the room.

"Would you like anything?" Ellie asked. "Some water or something to eat?"

"This isn't me." Hannah said. "I swear."

"Why don't you tell me what happened?" Ellie sat in the chair across from Hannah. "Take your time."

"I'm the safety supervisor at the particle accelerator plant." Hannah said, her voice raw from crying. "We were having issues with one of the couplings. It seems like I was going down there every few days. Tobias is—was the technician down there."

Phil entered the interrogation room with a bottle of water and he had taken off his tie. He gave the water to Hannah with a smile. Hannah looked at Ellie, as if to make sure Phil wouldn't hurt her.

"This is Agent Coulson." Ellie introduced them. "He's not going to hurt you. We want to help you. Please go on."

"Where ever I go, things turn bad." Hannah said softly.

"Were you angry at the people at the house?" Ellie asked.

"No." Hannah said. "I know most of them. They were angry. I understand. Oh, God. Frank's wife. The way she was looking at me..."

"Frank Delacourt." Phil supplied. "He died in the accident."

"They're gone because of me. I killed them."

"You said you checked the couplings every few days." Ellie placed her hand over Hannah's comfortingly. "There wasn't anymore that you could do."

"We think that you may have gained telekinetic powers." Phil said.

"What? You think I did this?" Hannah asked.

"My team is working to find out what happened to the damage and what might have happened to you." Phil said.

"The police car? The gas station? You think I did that?" Hannah looked to Ellie.

"We aren't sure." Ellie said. "If you do have powers, it's possible you aren't in control of them. I wasn't at first. I killed two men when I first got them. We're just trying to find a way to help you."

"This may be hard to hear." Phil said. "But these events all have one thing in common."

"Me." Hannah confirmed. "But I'm not causing it."

"Can you tell me what is?" Ellie asked.

"You won't believe me." Hannah sighed.

"Try me." Phil and Ellie said in unison.

"God stopped protecting me. He abandoned me." Hannah said, fresh tears falling down her face."

"What did he stop protecting you from?" Ellie asked.

"Demons." Hannah said.

Phil and Ellie exchanged a look before Phil spoke. "We have to go check in with our team. Do you need anything, Miss Hutchins?"

"No. Thank you." Hannah said.

"Call for me if you need anything." Ellie smiled at her before she closed the door behind her. Hannah's words rang in her ears while the rest of the team wrote it off as guilt. "I think she may be right."

"What?" Was the collective response.

"If she was upset at all these locations, then she wouldn't even be aware that she's causing the accidents." Ellie said. "And if she has telekinesis, which I don't believe that she does, things moving by themselves could make it seem like demons are haunting her.

"Why do you think she doesn't have powers?" Skye asked. "You saw what she did to the police car."

"True but everything we do causes us to burn energy, right?" Ellie looked to FitzSimmons for confirmation. When they nodded, she continued. "I can feel and manipulate energy fields around me, even the electrical impulses in your body. Telekinesis would take an enormous amount of energy but I didn't catch any fluctuations at her house or in the interrogation room. Everything about her is completely normal."

"Normal may be a relative term." Simmons said.

"Either way, I think it's something else." Ellie said. She glanced at Phil and saw him almost beaming with pride.

"Pour over the accident site." Phil told FitzSimmons. "If it wasn't her fault, great. But until we know one way or the other, she's a danger to all of us."

The group went their own separate ways after the briefing and Ellie joined Phil in his office, sitting in the recliner in the corner. Skye joined them shortly after they settled in, wanting to talk to Hannah.

"She's nice—like overly nice." Skye skimmed the information on her tablet. "She never misses a birthday post to her friends, runs the youth program at her church and rescues dogs. Someone with that much empathy, the cause of that much loss of life-she's devastated. She's spouting nonsense about God punishing her-"

"I agree with you Skye." Ellie interrupted. "But she's going to believe what she wants to until we prove something one way or the other. Even if we do prove that it isn't her fault, part of her is going to blame herself until the day she dies."

"You're asking the right questions." Phil told Skye. "But for now, you have to stay away from her."

Skye practically stomped out of Phil's office and Ellie closed the door when Skye was gone. "Well, that went well, I think."

"Do you think Hannah's a danger?" Phil asked.

Ellie shrugged and perched herself on the edge of his desk next to where he sat. "Nothing we can't handle."

"Hey." Phil smiled at her. "Come here."

Ellie leaned forward with a smile and pressed her lips to his chastely. "You know I love you, right?"

"I love you too." Phil said. "What do you say that after this mission, we all have a little break? Maybe head over to Paris for a night or two."

"Would Fury allow that?" Ellie asked.

"It's my plane." Phil shrugged. "Besides, we haven't had any time to ourselves in the last nine months. Well, except for your birthday."

"You were at my birthday party?" Ellie asked. "Why didn't you say hello?"

"I couldn't but 'Brian' could." Phil chuckled as the realization hit Ellie.

"You're a sweetheart." Ellie kissed his cheek. They headed to the lab when they heard Simmons scream.

"Hannah's right, sir. It isn't her." Simmons said as Phil helped her up. "Someone else is on this plane."

"Phil, how could somebody get on this plane?" Ellie said, closing her eyes to focus on the energy around her. The power went out and she made a small, contained ball of energy in her hand, acting as a flashlight.

"What was that?" Simmons asked.

"Plane's lost power." Phil answered. "We're going down."

The three of them went to buckle up before they crashed when Ellie spoke. "Where's the other one? Fitz?"

"He went to get our couplings for simulations." Simmons said, starting to unbuckle.

"I'll go get him." Ellie volunteered. "Just tell me where to go." 

"You can't do that." Phil said quickly.

"Fitz is out there with a possible psychopath and the plane is going down." Ellie said. "I have to go."

She took off down the corridors of the plane, trying to locate the Scot and keeping an eye out for the stranger on the plane. Ellie could hear a pounding the closer she got to the storage closet. "Fitz, it's me. Can you hear me?"

"Yeah. Can you tell me what the bloody hell is going on here?" Fitz asked.

"Well, Hannah's not telekinetic, there's a ghost man on the plane, and we just went down." Ellie started yanking on the door handle, successfully pulling it open on the fourth try. She pulled Fitz out of the closet. "We need to get the power up and running."

She heard somebody heading their way and pushing Fitz against the wall, a finger pressed to her lips so he could take the hint to be quiet. She walked carefully to the corner, hands ready with energy blasts and jumped in front of the attacker-who happened to be Ward and Simmons.

"We found Fitz." Ward said into a walkie talkie.

"Good. It looks like the main problem is in avionics two but he took out all our systems." May's voice came back. "Get your equipment and get down there."

Ward and Ellie covered the scientists while they got to where they needed to be and while they worked. Ward had a gun and Ellie placed a force field around them all.

"Does that work against ghosts?" Ward asked her, referring to the field.

"I guess we'll find out, won't we?" Ellie replied.

"There was another world in the explosion." Simmons was telling Fitz. "It was amazing."

"There were reports in London that Thor was passing through portals. Through other worlds." Fitz said.

"You think that's what they were researching there?" Ward asked.

"Yeah." Simmons said. "This ghost is a man trapped between our world and another."

"Why would he go after Hannah though?" Ellie asked the pair. "It has to be one of the victims, right?"

"It would be the most likely result, yes." Fitz said.

Ellie thought about their theory and about her interview with Hannah, an idea popping into her head. "He's not here to hurt her."

"What?" Ward asked.

"Hannah said that Tobias would call her down every few days to fix the coupling. You and Skye thought he had it out for her but what if he likes her?" Ellie said. "In each one of those scenarios, she was in a position where she could have gotten hurt. What if he's protecting her?"

They heard a clang down the hall and Ward went to investigate while Ellie stayed behind to guard the scientists.

"Clear." Ward said.

Ellie kept it to herself when Tobias materialized outside of the force field and she could feel the massive surge of energy before he arrived. He had a pipe wrench in his hand and started pounding on the field. "Ward! Could use a little help here!"

Simmons shrieked, having turned around to see the attack when Ellie spoke. Ward ran at Tobias but he disappeared before Ward could grab him.

"Cover these two." Ellie told Ward. "I need to get to May."

"Why her?" Ward asked quickly.

"Because I need her help." Ellie took off running to the interrogation room, running into May and explaining to her on the way. "If we get her out of here and let them talk, maybe he'll go away."

May grabbed Hannah and practically dragged her off the plane, Ellie bringing up the rear and promising that it would be okay. They didn't have long to wait for Tobias. He was waiting for them a half a mile from the plane.

"Let her go." Tobias demanded.

"We are trying to keep her safe." Ellie said. She put a force field around him, effectively holding him to this world temporarily. "We thought she was in danger so we took her to keep her safe."

"Tobias?" Hannah asked, looking around Ellie. "Is that you?"

"Tell him we won't hurt you." Ellie said. The portal that he had come through was tugging at the force field.

"They're friends, Tobias." Hannah said quickly, making him stop fighting the field. She listened to him admit to what he had done, loosening the bolts so she would visit and spend time with him. "How could you?"

"I'm sorry. I killed them." Tobias said, starting to sob. "Even worse, people started blaming you. I tried to stop them."

"You hurt more people." Hannah said, tears falling down her face.

"I was trying to protect you. I was trying to atone for my sin." Tobias said. "Hannah, please, if you forgive me, maybe I won't go to Hell."

"Only God can forgive you." Hannah said.

"Protecting Hannah won't make it better." Ellie said. She could feel the field crumbling. "You have to let her go, let her live her life. Stop haunting her and then you can move on."

Tobias reached for Hannah and Ellie lowered the field so they could touch.

"Let the girl go." Ellie said, noticing the minute flinch from Agent May. Tobias took a deep breath then dissipated completely. Hannah was free and they took her home, clearing her name of the accident.

**A/N: Thanks to all! You guys rock! I didn't really get a clear answer on whether you all would like some Phellie smut so if you would, please leave a review. If I get two positives, the next chapter shall be just that. Please leave a review on your way out! xo**

**Tombs: I've never collaborated on a story but I think it could be good. Sending love back your way, peach. :)**

**Rylee: I hope I didn't make you wait too long, lovely. :)**

**Music Box: Thank you dahling! I aim to please. :)**


	17. Chapter 17

The first thing Ellie saw when she looked out of the window was the Eiffel Tower and Phil was smiling behind her. "Really? We're in Paris?"

"I said we'd go, didn't I?" Phil asked as they got into Lola, the red Stingray Corvette that Phil was very proud of, and putting their bags in the trunk.

"Yes, but we've been talking about coming here since we first moved to New York." Ellie said with a smile.

"It's a special occasion." Phil took her hand and pressed a kiss to it as he drove to their hotel.

"Won't the rest of the team suspect something?" Ellie asked. "Going to Paris and us going off on our own?"

"Not when they all have their own business to take care of." Phil assured her.

Their room was beautiful with big glass doors that led to a balcony. A king sized bed filled up a portion of the room and there was a clawfoot bathtub in the bathroom. Ellie and Phil put their suitcases down and took in the scenery.

"I can't believe we're here." Ellie said, almost squealing.

"It is amazing." Phil agreed. He took her hand and led her back into the bedroom, closing the balcony doors behind him. Ellie giggled as he kissed her deeply, pulling her close. When they pulled apart he said, "Get dressed. I have a surprise for you."

"Where are we going?" Ellie asked.

"It's a surprise." Phil kissed the tip of her nose.

"I need to know how to dress." Ellie pouted.

"Just pick something that you like." Phil said. "I've got to go make sure everything is ready but meet me in the lobby in fifteen minutes."

Ellie watched him leave but changed her clothes anyway. She selected a green dress and black heels and left her hair down then went to meet Phil. He smiled as soon as he saw her, took her hand, and led her outside to the cab waiting for them.

"What about Lola?" Ellie asked when Phil slid in the seat next to her.

"I didn't want to be focused on driving tonight." Phil said with a smile.

The cab took them to the Eiffel Tower and they got into the elevator to go to the top. Ellie saw a sign that said the top was reserved. "Phil, this is reserved."

"I know." Phil said, leading her to a table set for two. "It's reserved for us."

"How did you do this?" Ellie asked as a waiter filled their wine glasses.

"I'm Phil Coulson." Phil said, taking a drink. "I can do anything."

Ellie didn't seem to be able to stop smiling through the rest of their dinner and on the way back to their hotel. Once she had closed the door behind her, Ellie took off her heels and sat down on the bed with a happy sigh. Phil took off his tie and tossed it on the dresser, unbuttoning the top button of his shirt as he walked toward Ellie. He lowered his head and claimed her lips, kissing her long and deeply. She grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him closer, falling back on the bed and pulling him with her. Phil tried to distribute his weight so he wouldn't crush her but tonight Ellie wanted to feel all of him against her.

His tongue brushed against her lips, asking for entrance, and it was granted. He swept her mouth with his tongue, causing her to moan softly and tangle her fingers in his hair. When she tugged on the soft strands, Phil growled against her lips and let his hands roam her body. She gasped when one of his hands palmed her breast and squeezed it gently. Phil kissed his way along her jaw and nibbled on her ear before placing kisses down her neck.

"Phil." Ellie moaned breathlessly. "I've missed you."

"I've missed you too, sweetheart." Phil stopped kissing her so he could look into her eyes. "You've no idea how much."

He got up so he could take off his coat, dropping the garment on the floor, before pulling Ellie up so she was standing. He turned her around so he could unzip her dress, kissing her neck as he did so. When the dress had joined his coat on the floor, Phil pressed his chest to her back, kissing her neck and massaging a breast as she shivered at his touch. When his hand drifted further down, she felt her legs go weak as he slipped a finger inside her. Ellie moaned at the feeling and Phil took this as a cue to add a second finger. Her knees almost buckled as she turned her head so she could kiss him. She positioned herself so they were chest to chest, a movement which caused Phil to remove his fingers only momentarily. He was back to pleasing her the minute she faced him. Ellie threw her arms around his neck, kissing him hungrily and felt him harden against her. She took him by surprise when she stroked him through his trousers.

Phil's response was to pick Ellie up, allowing her to wrap her legs around his waist and carry her to the bed, tossing her unceremoniously on the mattress. He was on top of her a moment later, hiking one leg over his hip as he devoured her lips. Ellie fumbled with the buttons on his shirt but managed to get them undone, pushing the garment off his shoulders. Her fingers brushed against his scar and she felt him stiffen and he stopped kissing her.

"What's wrong?" Ellie asked as he moved off of her.

"I didn't want you to see this." Phil retrieved his shirt and put it back on. Ellie stopped him before he could re button it. She pushed him down on the mattress so he was laying on his back and straddled his hips. She moved the fabric so she could see the ugly scar, tracing it first with her fingers and then with her lips, placing kisses the entire length of the scar. What Phil hadn't expected was to have it feel so good. Every time her lips made contact with his skin, he felt himself twitch inside his trousers. When her tongue brushed his skin, he moaned. No longer worried about what she would think of the scar, Phil brought her head up to his and kissed her, their lips moving together hungrily.

"I don't want to wait any longer." Ellie said, her lips still pressed against his. She reached down between them and popped open the button on his pants, lowering the zipper and brushing her fingers against his member. Phil helped her get his pants and boxers off and removed Ellie's undergarments as well.

He rolled her over so she was under him and looked into her eyes. "Let me know if I hurt you."

Ellie nodded even though she knew it wouldn't hurt and Phil pushed himself inside of her, both of them gasping at the feeling. He had intended to take his time with her tonight but now that he felt her wrapped around him, he couldn't. He thrust in and out quickly and ravenous to devour her body. Ellie had no problem with the quick pace. She was just as desperate for him as he was for her. Her moans spurred him on and the kisses that she placed sloppily down his neck and chest made this feel almost too good. He could feel her tightening around him and knew she was getting close. With a final thrust, he sent them both tumbling over the edge of their orgasms. Phil moved off of her so he wouldn't crush her and they lay there panting, trying to catch their breath.

"I love you." Ellie said, scooting closer to him. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and kissed her hair.

"I love you too." Phil said. He took her chin in his fingers and raised her head so he could kiss her again. When he spoke, their lips were millimeters away and their breath mingled together. "Marry me?"

"Yes." Ellie's answer was quick. The pair were smiling as they kissed once more then snuggled into the bed. Their breaths synced up before they were asleep, tangled together in the sheets.

**A/N: Is it hot in here or is it just them? Lol Please let me know what you think of the love scene. I don't usually go into that much detail so don't be too hard on me. By the way if you guys truly love me (I like to think that you do) would you pretty please go over to Thor fanfiction and read my new fic: Power of the Tesseract. I'll send you all cookies and pie if you leave a review here and there. I love all of you guys! **

**Littleheartache: Here you are, my dirty little elf. ;) I hope it is to your...ahem...satisfaction. (bad pun. Sorry not sorry.)**

**Rylee: They do deserve it, don't they? :)**

**Tombs: You're a peach! :)**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: This chapter may contain triggers (mention of suicide and mental disorder) for some people. **

"Don't worry about anything." Ellie said into her phone. "I have everything taken care of."

"I just wanted to see if you could come meet with the caterers." Phil said on the other end of the call. "We need a final decision on the entrees for the reception."

"I'll be there in a minute." Ellie said, checking before she crossed the street.

"Where are you?" Phil asked.

"I'm leaving the apartment now." Ellie said. Someone covered her eyes with their hands and she spun around quickly, smiling when she saw who it was. "Damn it, Phil. You scared me half to death."

Phil chuckled and took her hand. "Sorry. That wasn't my intention."

"It's okay." Ellie kissed him chastely.

"Let's finish the planning." Phil tugged on her hand and led her down an alley he said was on the way to the caterer.

Ellie checked her phone when it buzzed and when she looked up, Phil was gone. "Phil? Where'd you go?"

She took a couple of careful steps toward the dead end alley, wondering how she got there. She heard voices behind her and spoke again. "This isn't funny anymore."

"What do we have here?" A man said. She turned and saw three men behind her.

"I don't want any trouble." Ellie said.

"Maybe I do." The man said.

"Leave her alone." Steve appeared in the alley.

"What you gonna do about it, gramps?" One of the other men said.

"Son, just don't." Steve warned. There was something about his tone that made the thugs walk away. Steve turned his attention to Ellie. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. What about Phil? Where is he?" Ellie asked, trying not to freak out more.

Steve sighed before he spoke. "Phil's dead, Ellie. He died two years ago."

"No." Ellie racked her brain. "I was just with him. He brought me here."

Steve came closer to Ellie and she allowed him to, speaking carefully. "Phil died before the Battle of New York. We started dating a year ago. Does any of this ring a bell?"

Ellie ran a hand through her hair as she tried to think, starting to panic. "No. He's alive. He's working with a team. Th-there's FitzSimmons and Ward and Skye and May. They're all on a plane."

Steve spoke softly, reaching for her. "Ellie, we should go home. We can talk about this there."

Ellie shook her head no and slapped his hand away, starting to panic as she ran away. She bolted from the alley and into the street, ignoring the cars that honked angrily at her. She heard Steve behind her and took off running, re directing herself to the sidewalk to avoid being hit. She had gotten to Central Park when she ran into a wall. Ellie fell to the ground and looked up, realizing the wall she had run into was actually Director Fury. Steve caught up with her a few seconds later.

"Captain Rogers, what the hell is going on here?" Fury's voice was firm but soft to avoid a scene. "You assured me that you had this situation under control."

"It's nothing major, sir." Steve said quickly, stepping between Ellie and Fury.

"Situation? I'm a situation?" Ellie demanded.

Steve ignored her for the moment, focusing on the Director. "She was—is doing much better. This is just a hiccup."

Fury looked from Ellie to Steve. "If it happens again, we're going to have to put her in a place where she can get the treatment she needs."

"Understood, sir." Steve nodded once and Fury left. He turned around to face Ellie when the Director was gone. "Let's just go home and we can talk about this."

Ellie nodded after a moment and they got into a cab, riding and entering her apartment in silence. She looked around the familiar apartment and sat down on the couch. Steve collected some papers then sat next to her. "After Phil's death, you had a rough time. It was worse than any of us realized when Pepper found you one day, laying on your bed with your arms practically shredded."

"What?" Ellie breathed.

This was obviously difficult for Steve to talk about. He cleared his throat before continuing. "You had tried to kill yourself. Thankfully Pepper found you in time. You were sent to a psychiatric ward and stayed there for a while. You said that Phil asked you to be with him and the only way to do so was to kill yourself. They diagnosed you with schizophrenia and put you on medication. When you remember to take it, you're almost the same as you were before. But when you forget...well, you dream about him and hear him and see him everywhere. You must have forgotten to take it last night."

Ellie's eyes had watered while he spoke. Her words were a soft, choked whisper. "He was there, Steve. I know he was."

Steve placed a photo in front of her. It was a picture of Phil on the mortician's table. She stared at it in horror as Steve got up and retrieved her medicine and a glass of water. Ellie looked at the pills in his hand and up at him. "I know what I saw. I know what I felt."

"I know." He handed her the water after she put the pills in her mouth, washing them down with water. "Come on. You should get some rest, sweetheart."

Ellie nodded and went to her room, crawling between the sheets and letting herself fall asleep. Steve closed the bedroom door so she wouldn't be disturbed and sat back down on the couch, looking at the files and sighing. He called Pepper, explained the situation and asked her to come over.

"How is she?" Pepper asked as Steve let her in an hour later.

"She's resting." Steve said.

Pepper noted the tiredness on Steve's face. "How are you doing?"

"Some days are better than others." Steve admitted.

"Do you want me to go talk to her?" Pepper asked.

"If you wouldn't mind. You're her best friend." Steve said.

"Of course." Pepper gave him a supportive hug. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure." Steve said.

"Why do you put yourself through this?" Pepper asked. "I admire you taking care of her and sticking with her through everything but why do this to yourself?"

"I love her." Steve said simply. "I need her as much as she needs me."

Pepper nodded and smiled a small smile then went to knock on the bedroom door. "Ellie? Can I come in?"

"Yes." Ellie called softly. Pepper saw Ellie looking through pictures on her cell phone when she pushed the door open.

Pepper sat down on the edge of the bed. "You want to talk about it?"

Ellie was staring at a photo of her and Steve at the beach. They were in their bathing suits and Steve was pressing a kiss to her cheek while she smiled into the camera. There were dozens of photos on her phone that were similar. "How often do I put him through this?"

"What?" Pepper said.

"How often do I do things like this?" Ellie looked her friend in the eye. "I can't remember so you need to tell me."

"It's been happening more frequently as we get closer to the anniversary of Phil's death." Pepper admitted.

Ellie showed her a different picture of Steve carrying Ellie while the pair laughed before switching to a different picture. "I should apologize to him."

"For what?" Pepper asked.

"I kind of ran away from him." Ellie admitted sheepishly.

"You and Steve should come over for dinner." Pepper smiled widely. "It feels like ages since you two have been over."

"What about Tony?" Ellie asked.

"He'll be excited to have you both over." Pepper insisted. "Come over about seven-ish, okay?"

Ellie nodded and Pepper gave her a smile before she left. Pepper had closed the bedroom door behind her and Steve debated on going to see how Ellie was doing. He didn't have long to wait because she opened the door timidly. "Hi."

"Hi." Steve echoed. "Are you feeling better?"

"Yes." Ellie nodded and fidgeted with the hem of her shirt. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" Steve asked, confused.

"Running away from you today. Apparently I do this a lot." Ellie said.

"It's all right." Steve smiled as she walked closer to where he sat at on the couch. "I was getting out of shape so the run was helpful."

Ellie chuckled. "Pepper invited us over for dinner tonight at seven."

"Do you want to go?" Steve asked.

"I know Tony isn't your favorite person so we don't have to if you don't want to go." Ellie said.

Steve shushed her. "I'll go if you want to."

"Okay." Ellie bit her lower lip as she looked at him. "Can I try something?"

Steve nodded once and she sat on his lap carefully. He put an arm around her waist so she wouldn't fall and gave her an encouraging smile. She licked her lips before she kissed him. It didn't last long but it was intense and left her breathing heavily. Steve rested his forehead against hers as they both tried to breathe normally.

"Wow." Ellie said softly. "I didn't expect it to be like that."

"You said that the first time we kissed too." Steve smiled. He glanced at the clock and saw the time. "You told Pepper we'd be over in an hour and a half. You should get changed."

Ellie looked at her jeans and t shirt and decided Steve was right. She relinquished her spot on his lap and went to change her clothes.

**A/N: I realize that some of you guys might be confused right now but it will be cleared up in a few chapters, I promise. As far as Ellie's mental instability, I did the best research I could and if anybody has any corrections for me, don't hesitate to let me know. Thanks for reading/reviewing/following/favoriting. Please leave a review on your way out. **

**Littleheartache: I'm so glad it was to your liking! :) **

**Rubi: I meant to thank you for your previous review but I forgot. Please accept my apologies for that. Mini-Coulsons would be adorable! :)**

**Joanie: Why, thank you. :)**


	19. Chapter 19

Ellie was showing Steve how to play video games while they waited for their pizza delivery when his phone rang. They were being called in on a mission by Director Fury. They made it to their armory in seconds, dressing in their armor and gathering their weapons. Ellie's uniform was a black and blue catsuit while Steve's was an armored black suit with stripes on the arms. Steve grabbed the sword he preferred to use and Ellie smiled at him as they made their way through the tunnels under their apartment.

"How long has it been since we were on a mission together?" Steve asked Ellie as they walked.

"It's been a while for a mission for me." Ellie admitted. "I guess Fury thought I was good enough to work with you?"

"You're the only backup I want." Steve kissed her quickly before she put on her mask and he pulled his helmet on, concealing their features.

"Who's the target?" Ellie asked. Their tunneling system ran through the city, allowing them quick getaways and easy access to their targets.

"Natasha Romanoff." Steve replied. "She's been leading a rebellion against Hydra. Fury wants her dealt with."

"She's a Russian diplomat." Ellie said. "If we do this, then we're starting a war with Russia."

"There are Hydra leaders in Russia. There won't be a war." Steve assured her. They had arrived under the United Nations building and climbed up to the surface, keeping to the shadows. This was their expertise. The section of the building allotted to the housing for important dignitaries was where Natasha would be. Ellie saw an intern taking a tray of room service to a room and handled the intern quickly, knocking her out, tying her up and shoving her in a closet. She picked up the tray and gave the signal for Steve to rejoin her outside of Romanoff's room.

"It took long enough." Natasha said, pulling the door open. Ellie smiled at her as her target took in the sight of them while Ellie pushed her back into the room. Steve entered a moment later and closed the door behind him. "Who are you?"

"Our employer is rather upset at what you've been doing." Ellie picked at the food on the tray, popping a strawberry in her mouth and chewing before continuing. Natasha looked terrified from where she sat on the bed. "You can talk, Natalie."

"It's Natasha." She corrected and Ellie chuckled. "I don't know what you're talking about. I'm here to discuss the treaty in the works between my country and the United States."

"You're here to further your attempts to bring down Hydra." Ellie said. "We know of your rebellion and if you give us the names of those involved, I will let you live."

"What about him?" Natasha was talking about Steve standing silently with his sword in his hand.

"Do you know who he is?" Ellie asked Natasha, who shook her head. "That's Nightblade. If it were up to me, I'd let you go if I think you're telling the truth but it's not. It's up to him."

Natasha started to cry and beg for her life. "Please. I have a family."

"And you'll get to see them if you cooperate and pledge your allegiance to us." Ellie said, handing Natasha a piece of paper and a pencil. Natasha took the pencil with a shaking hand and wrote down a dozen names. Ellie snatched the paper from her when she was done, allowing Steve to read the list.

"That's all that I know." Natasha blubbered.

"I believe you." Ellie said. "How about you, Nightblade?"

"I believe her." Steve said, staring down the redheaded crying diplomat before he covered her head with a black bag.

They disappeared with the list into the tunneling system and put Natasha in a cell, making it back to their apartment in time to change their clothes and pay the pizza delivery man.

"What are we going to with weepy?" Ellie said, picking up a piece of pizza.

"Keep her until Fury says otherwise." Steve said, wiping his fingers on a napkin and picking up his game controller and continuing their game.

Ellie tossed her medicine in her mouth and chased them with water before she changed into her pajamas. Steve was already asleep when she slipped under the comforter. She snuggled in closer to him and he draped an arm over her waist, sleepily kissing her hair. That night she tossed and turned, waking up in a cold sweat. She got up to get a drink and the movement caused Steve to wake up.

"Everything okay, doll?" He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and sat up.

"Yeah. Go back to sleep." She leaned over the bed and kissed him before going into the kitchen, pouring herself some juice and downing it quickly. Her mind was racing with her dreams of that night, dreams of Phil. Apparently her medication didn't make them go away completely. She ran a hand through her hair and sat on the couch, clicking on the TV and absentmindedly watched infomercials.

"What's wrong?" Steve came into the living room in his pajama bottoms. Ellie jumped when he spoke, moving her legs so he could sit down.

"Just couldn't sleep." Ellie said with a smile.

"El, I know you better than that." Steve said.

Ellie sighed. "I dreamed of Phil again. It's just...weird, I guess."

"You two were friends for a long time." Steve said. "You loved each other. It's normal for you to dream about it."

"It doesn't bother you?" Ellie asked.

"No." Steve took her hand and smiled. "I know I'm not your first boyfriend. I can't ask you to pretend like I am. Do you love me?"

"Yes." Ellie nodded.

"And I love you." Steve said. "That's what matters."

Steve woke up the next morning to find an hourglass on the dining room table. He had carried Ellie into their room after she fell asleep on the couch. She was still asleep when he read the note that had been burned into the top of the hourglass.

_With love, Cronos_

**A/N: So I got a lot less hate for that last chapter than I thought I would. I had to do that because I had to introduce a new villain of my own making! Now we are in a slight AU world but it will make sense in a few chapters, I absolutely promise! Thanks for reading/reviewing/following/favoriting! Please leave a review on your way out. They're always appreciated. **

**Rylee and Littleheart: I'm sad to say that it wasn't a dream but never fear. It shall all come out. **

**Ynwa: Thanks for your review but I promise you it will all work out. We haven't seen the last of Phil. **


	20. Chapter 20

"Damn it, Simmons!" Phil shouted at the startled brunette. "She can't just disappear from the plane without a trace."

"Apparently she can, sir." Jemma stammered, averting her eyes when Phil glared at her before leaving the lab. Fitz was using his drones to scan Ellie's room on the plane, looking for clues as to how she disappeared.

The day after he proposed in Paris, Ellie had gotten her own room on the plane. She had dinner with Phil, the pair played _Battleship_ (Phil lost), he gave her a kiss good night and she went to bed. When he woke up the next morning, Ellie was gone. Phil thought that she was showering but when a search of the plane proved that wasn't the case, the normally level headed agent lost it.

"I don't understand why he's reacting so violently." Simmons muttered, looking at the data Fitz retrieved. "I mean, I realize that she's his best friend but still..." 

"I think it's a bit more than that, Simmons." Fitz interrupted her with a pointed look.

Simmons chuckled at the idea of Phil and Ellie together. "You can't possibly mean-"

"I do." Fitz said, swiping at the holotable. "It won't mean a bloody thing if we don't get her back."

"Wait a moment." Simmons pointed at a reading they had taken from Ellie's room. "Is that...?"

"It most certainly is." Fitz smiled at her. They were making progress.

"I have to stop by the pharmacy." Ellie called to Steve, who had been in the kitchen. She picked up her medicine bottles and shoved them in her purse. "I need a refill."

"Are you sure you have to do that now?" Steve asked, picking her up and sitting her on the counter. He kissed her with a smile. "Because I can think of something more fun to do."

Ellie giggled as he nuzzled her neck and pushed him away teasingly before hopping off the counter. "I won't be gone long."

Steve watched her as she left before examining the hourglass that had been left in their apartment. He had hidden it from Ellie, not wanting it to trigger anything that could jeopardize the mission. Slipping his coat on, he went to the alley and smashed it on the ground. Cronos would have to wait until later.

"You're saying that Ellie was taken through a what?" Phil asked, furrowing his brows.

"A wormhole of sorts." Simmons said. She tapped a few buttons and brought up the readings.

"Can you find out where she went?" Skye asked.

"Unfortunately, it's impossible to trace wormholes." Fitz huffed.

"Then what's the point of this?" Phil gestured to the screen. "How is this helpful?"

"From what we can tell, she's been pulled into an alternate timeline." Simmons said. "Her vitals are still up in our system so she's still alive but there are large quantities of a drug I can't identify in her system."

"Find out what kind of drug it is and see if we can trace it." Phil ordered. "Is there anyway we can go through the wormhole or talk to her?"

"It is possible to go through the wormhole but there's no guarantee that you would end up in the same place as her." Fitz shook his head.

"Any way to contact her?" Ward asked.

FitzSimmons exchanged a look before Simmons sighed. "There's a theory that hypnotism could induce a trance like state, allowing two people who share a profound bond to communicate over enormous distances."

"Why do you look so worried?" Skye spoke before Phil could.

"Because, in order to do so, we would have to put someone in a medical coma and there's no way to know if we could pull them out of it." Fitz said.

"Set it up." Phil ordered. "I'll do it."

"Sir, this is an untested theory-"Simmons stammered.

"So let's test it." Phil interrupted.

"That only works if she is in the same trance like state, such as a REM cycle sleep." Simmons finished. "You can't do this."

"I have to do this." Phil's voice rumbled deep in his chest, glaring at Simmons. "She is my family. She is _everything_ to me. I just got her back and I'll be damned if I let someone take her away from me!"

"I understand where you're coming from, Coulson." Ward said, stepping between his commanding officer and the slightly shaking scientist. "But shouldn't we tell Director Fury about this? She is a member of the Avengers."

"No. We need to handle this in house." Phil replied while FitzSimmons prepared the serum to induce deep sleep he would need.

"At least let one of us go under instead." Ward suggested.

"No." Phil's answer was short and final. He took off his jacket and rolled his sleeves up, laying down on the gurney Fitz had pulled up. It only took a few minutes for Phil to fall asleep and all the team could do was wait.

"El, the movie's starting." Steve called. Ellie ran into the living room and jumped on the couch, snuggling into his side. He chuckled at her as she got comfortable before putting an arm around her. Fury had come to collect Natasha Romanoff earlier, shipping her off to a Hydra containment facility and Ellie still had no idea that she was the key to the success of this mission. He needed to keep it that way. Halfway through the movie, he started kissing her neck, something that he knew she liked. One thing lead to another and soon their clothes were scattered on the floor. Once they had finished and lay in their bed, Steve watched her as she slept. When he was positive that she wouldn't wake up, he got dressed and headed out, clicking the door behind him.

_Ellie relaxed on a beach, bathing in the sun when a shadow blocked the light from her eyes. She looked up at the offending person, stunned when she saw it was Phil. More shocking, he was in his usual suit. "You're a bit over dressed for the beach." _

"_You're a bit under dressed." Phil countered, gesturing to her scanty bikini as he knelt next to her. "You're also in danger." _

"_What are you talking about?" Ellie sat up, brushing the sand off her forearms. _

"_Wherever you are, whoever you're with, they kidnapped you." Phil spoke quickly but calmly. "I need you to tell me where you are." _

Ellie's eyes flew open and she was breathing heavily. She glanced at the empty bed beside her and sent a text to Steve to make sure he's okay. Her eyes fell on the newly filled prescription bottles and she assmed she forgot to take her medicine. Ellie took the proper dosage and tried to go back to sleep. When, after a few hours, it proved to be futile she went looking for a book to read. She pulled _Hunger Games_ off the shelf and an envelope fell from the cover. She picked it up and read the front. In Steve's handwriting a single word was scrawled on the front. _Cronos._

**A/N: Hopefully this chapter clears up a bit of confusion for you all. Thanks to all of you who read/review/follow/favorite this story. Those emails always make me smile so feel free to leave a review on your way out. **

**Joanie: Don't worry. The Phellie ship has not gone under yet. I promise. **

**Gotta: I hope this helps this confusion, doll. **

**Rylee: You, my dear, are quite brilliant. You picked up on a less than obvious clue so this chapter is dedicated to you. :)**


	21. Chapter 21

"Should we wake him?" Simmons asked Fitz. "He's been under for days."

"He's going to be angry." Fitz replied. "Furious, really."

"We can't keep him under much longer. We don't even know if he's made contact." Simmons countered.

Fitz sighed but nodded at Simmons, allowing her to start waking Phil up. It took a few hours and when Phil was awake, he was furious.

"I talked to her!" Phil shouted. "I was waiting for a chance to talk to her again."

Steve hung up the phone call and let out a heavy sigh. These new orders were going to be tricky to pull off but if anybody could, it was him.

"Hey." Ellie entered the apartment, tossing her purse on the counter. She noticed Steve's frown. "What's wrong?"

"Hmm?" Steve said, pulling himself out of his thoughts. "Oh. Nothing. We got a new mission."

"What is it?" Ellie asked.

"I have to bring in a weapon that the level 10s need." Steve went to a drawer and dug out a gun, keeping it concealed.

"Can I know what it is?" Ellie stepped closer to him.

"Yeah." Steve cleared his throat as he turned and aimed the gun at her. "It's you."

"What are you talking about?" Ellie furrowed her brows but put her hands up. The front door opened and an older man with white hair and beard walked in.

"You are quite the asset, darling." The man approached her and took her hand, pressing a kiss to her knuckles. "I am Cronos."

Ellie yanked her hand away angrily. "Steve, what's going on?"

Cronos answered instead. "You are the newest weapon in the Hydra lineup, I'm afraid. Your...accident when you were 18 made that possible."

"I'm not going to be a weapon. I'm an agent." Ellie snapped.

"We'll see." Cronos smiled.

"She's in trouble." Phil paced his office as he talked to May. "I know she is."

"There's nothing we can do." May said solemnly.

"There's always something." Phil countered. "I'm going after her."

"Coulson, you can't." May said.

"Yes I can." Phil said. He went back to the lab and told FitzSimmons to get the wormhole open. He was going to find Ellie.

Steve was regretting his choices right now. Ellie's blood was on his hands, literally. Cronos had him torture her until she would agree to be a weapon and she had still refused. This had been the plan from the start: the pills, their relationship. It was all meant to lead her down this path so they could bring Hydra from the shadows and truly have dominance in any government.

"Just agree, Ellie." Steve told her. "Agree and this all stops."

Ellie spit blood out of her mouth and on his boots. "I won't kill innocent people."

"You've killed before." Steve reminded her.

"People who killed others. People who killed innocent people." Ellie shouted. Steve, having all of the super strength that she did, knew how to tie her hands so she wouldn't escape. She was struggling with the ropes while she talked. "I won't do this. I won't be a weapon."

"Why does it matter?" Steve shouted back, grabbing a handful of hair and lifting her to her feet with it. He pressed the tip of his knife under her jaw. "You're going to agree to this."

"You'll have to kill me." Ellie promised.

"Sir, there's no guarantee that you'll end up where she is." Simmons reminded Phil as he checked his gun, making sure it was fully loaded.

"I know." Phil said.

"To get back, you need to be right where you were dropped off no later than six hours later. That doesn't give you much time." Fitz said.

They were standing in Ellie's pod and FitzSimmons opened the wormhole. Phil took a deep breath and jumped in. When he stepped through, he was standing outside of his old apartment in New York. Phil was confused but went inside and got in the elevator, clicking the familiar buttons. He stood in front of the door and tried to use his key but it didn't fit. The locks must have been changed. He knocked three times and waited for someone to answer. An older man opened the door finally.

"I must have the wrong address." Phil said. He pulled out a photo of Ellie. "Have you seen this woman?"

"Yes. I am Miss Johnson's guard." He ushered Phil in.

"Is she here?" Phil looked around the familiar but vastly different apartment.

"I'll get her for you." Cronos smiled, gesturing to the couch. "Please, have a seat."

Phil smiled but remained standing while Cronos got Ellie. Cronos didn't bother to wipe the blood from her face or untie her hands, pulling her up and pushing her through the door. When her eyes landed on Phil, she started to scream.

"No! NO!" Ellie shrieked, struggling against Cronos. "You're not here! You're not!"

"What have you done to her?" Phil demanded, drawing his gun and aiming it at Cronos' heart. "Let her go."

"Of course." Cronos shoved Ellie at Phil, knocking her to the ground. She backed away with her hands still tied, whimpering to herself.

"I don't understand." Ellie was afraid. This is why she was taking her medicine. She repeated her words over and over, rocking herself back and forth.

Phil was taken by surprise when Nightblade knocked the gun from his hand. Nightblade landed a quick blow to his head, knocking the SHIELD agent out of conciousness. Cronos had Phil taken to the tunnels below the apartment and Ellie was sedated. When she woke up, she was in a hospital room with Steve by her side. "Get away from me!"

"What's wrong?" Steve asked, concern etched on his face.

"You were torturing me!" Ellie screamed. She caught a look of her face in the mirror. She was bruised and had a newly stitched gash on her forehead.

"Ellie, you were in a car accident." Steve held her arms down as he lied.

"No! Phil was there!" Ellie said.

"Here, sweetheart." Steve stroked her hair gently, offering her a small paper cup with her medicine in it. "Take your medicine. You'll feel better."

"Am I insane?" Ellie asked softly.

"No." Steve said softly.

The door flew open and Phil and Ward came through, ready to fire on Steve. Phil's voice was angry when he spoke. "Get away from her now. I won't ask a second time."

Ward had to sedate Ellie so she wouldn't struggle against him while he lifted her into his arms. FitzSimmons had sent Ward through with a device that would bring them back through the wormhole. They activated it and pulled the three of them through, bringing them back on the plane. They were home.

**A/N: What a horrible person AU!Steve is. Even I don't like him but one must have a villain. Anyhow, please leave a review on your way out and once again, thanks for all the readers/reviewers/followers/favorites on this story. You guys are amazing!**

**Joanie: Thanks, doll. :)**

**Rylee: There is your daring rescue. :) I hope you enjoyed it. **


	22. Chapter 22

When Ellie woke up, her head was pounding. She tried to sit up but got dizzy so she laid her head back on her pillow. She could hear a voice several feet away.

"Once the drug passes out of her system, there should be no ill side effects." A woman's voice. Ellie knew that voice. It was Simmons but Steve had told her that there was no Simmons. "Whatever this drug is, it has made her extremely vulnerable to suggestion. Much like hypnosis."

"When will she wake up?" Phil's voice spoke as the events of the last week bombarded her brain. She had been kidnapped, she was back home, and the Steve she thought she was dating had been trying to use her.

"Shhhhhhh." Ellie groaned, pulling the blanket over her face. The lights and noise did nothing to help her headache.

"Oh good." Simmon's voice was perky. "She's awake."

The blanket was yanked off Ellie's face and a light shone on her eyelids. "Please get that out of my face and can I have some aspirin?"

"Coming right up." Simmons helped her sit up then gave her a paper cup of water and some aspirin. Ellie swallowed the pills and water and waited for it to kick in.

"What do you remember?" Phil asked.

"Right into the debrief?" Ellie groaned, rubbing her temples. She squinted up at Phil but managed a smile. "I feel the need to ask. This is real, right? I'm not hallucinating?"

"This is very real." Phil promised. "You had a large quantity of an unidentified drug in your system but it's almost gone now."

"Yeah. Steve said it was my medicine." Ellie mumbled. "He said I was mentally ill and that the drug helped with hallucinations."

"Anything else we should know?" Phil asked.

"Hydra is the organization in command where ever I was." Ellie sighed. "Whatever alternate universe I was in."

"What happened to your face?" Was Phil's next question.

"That's a lovely question." Ellie quipped sarcastically. "What happened to your face?"

"I'll fill you in later." Phil smiled at her sarcasm.

"Steve—Nightblade- whatever his name is did this to me." Ellie gestured to her head. "Cronos wanted me to be a weapon for Hydra and when I said no, Nightblade had to beat it into a yes." 

Phil felt his blood boiling at the thought of somebody hurting Ellie but kept a level head. "Let's get you cleaned up and in some new clothes."

Ellie nodded, getting off the makeshift bed in the lab and following Phil to her room on the plane. "Oh, airplane. I have missed you."

"It missed you." Phil smiled at her as he stood beside her door, waiting for her to go in. "I'm glad you're okay, El."

"Me too, Phil." Ellie smiled back at him. She glanced around to make sure that no one was watching then pressed a kiss to his lips.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Phil asked, watching her eyes when she pulled away. "Nothing else happened?"

"I told you everything." Ellie said with a small shrug. She gathered some clothes and brushed past Phil on her way to the showers. She was aware of his eyes on her but she ignored it. She was definitely not going to tell him that she slept with Nightblade. Even though she was being drugged, she didn't feel like it was something he needed to know.

When she returned from the showers, pulling a brush through her long hair, Skye and Simmons were waiting for her in her pod. "Can I help you?"

"We know." Skye was smiling widely.

"You know...what?" Ellie tossed her clothes in the hamper and put her brush away.

"About you and Coulson." Skye elaborated. Simmons was practically bouncing on the bed. "What's it like?"

"What's what like?" Ellie blushed slightly.

Skye gave her a 'you know what I'm talking about' look and Ellie chuckled. "How did you guys find out?"

"He was acting all weird and possessive while you were gone." Skye said.

"Fitz was the one who figured it out, actually." Simmons clarified. "I thought he was wrong but we realized he wasn't."

"So tell us what it's like." Skye repeated. "How long have you two been together?"

"Twelve years." Ellie smiled at the memories she had of her and Phil through the years.

"Twelve years?!" Skye said loudly as Simmons said, "How have you kept it a secret from SHIELD all this time?"

"Fury knew." Ellie admitted. "He was the only one who knew."

Ellie pulled one of the photo albums from under her mattress and sat between the two girls, showing them pictures of Phil and her as they grew up together. They 'oohed' and 'awwwed' at the photos of prom and birthdays when Simmons' gaze fell on the engagement ring Ellie had replaced before her shower. "Are you getting married? To Agent Coulson?"

"You guys can't tell." Ellie said quickly. "It's going to be a small, quiet ceremony."

"Why?" Skye whined. "I love weddings. Pretty dresses, free booze, hot guys."

"Yeah, well, among other reasons, his mother and the Avengers have no idea he's alive." Ellie sighed. "Everybody that we care about thinks he's dead so it's going to be just us."

"Would it really be so bad if the other Avengers knew he was alive?" Simmons asked.

"I don't know." Ellie shrugged. "But if Fury says they can't know, then they can't know."

"Maybe Phil has changed his mind about that." Simmons and Skye shared a look when Phil knocked on the door.

"Can I talk to you, Ellie?" Phil asked. They went to his office and he handed her a file. She read about how he had been dead for days and Fury brought him back. By the time she finished the file, her heart was aching.

"Are you okay?" Ellie closed the file and set it aside. Phil had watched her read from his office chair and Ellie came to sit in his lap, putting her arm around his shoulder. He put his arms around her silently.

"No." Phil's answer was simple, his eyes brimming with tears. "I asked them to let me die, El. I came back from the dead and I asked them to let me die."

"It's okay, sweetheart." Ellie ran her fingers through his hair as the tears started to fall.

"I didn't think about you while they were doing it. I just wanted to die." Phil cried softly.

"It's okay, Phil." Ellie whispered. "I understand and it's okay."

Ellie and Phil sat in his office chair and Ellie held him until they both fell asleep. She listened to his sobs and regrets, offering comforting words to each one that passed his lips.

**A/N: I meant to have this chapter up yesterday but I got distracted by my Thor fic. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Thanks for reading/reviewing/following/favoriting this story. Please leave a review on your way out. If you have the time, please go check out my Thor fic. It's titled _Power of the Tesseract._ **

**Rylee: We haven't seen the last of douchebag Steve. **

**MissMadame: Thanks for your review, doll! I'm sorry it got so confusing there for a minute but I'm glad you liked it! **

**Music Box: Thanks for the review. I'm glad you enjoyed it. :)**


	23. Chapter 23

Phil needed some time to process the new information about his death and Ellie gave it to him. She made sure that the rest of the team left him alone and SHIELD was surprisingly quiet. They hadn't had any new missions in a while. Pepper had started to worry about Ellie, not having heard from her in a while.

"Where are you?" Pepper asked into her phone. "Nobody's seen you for weeks."

"I can't tell you where I am but I'm safe." Ellie promised her.

"Ellie, I know Phil's death was hard but you can't just disappear like this." Pepper sighed. "We're all worried."

"We?" Ellie echoed.

"Tony and Cap for starters." Pepper said. She glanced at Tony who gave her a thumbs up. They now had a trace on Ellie's phone call and they could find her.

"I promise there's no need to be worried." Ellie said. "I've got to go but I'll text you later."

Ellie hung up on Pepper and sighed. She wanted to tell Pepper about Phil being alive. His death had hit all of the Avengers close to home. It would do them all, especially Steve, good to know he was alive. She felt the plane start to land.

"Where are we?" Ellie asked May as she entered the cockpit. "Why are we landing?"

"Coulson ordered we put down in New York to fuel up and for repairs." May didn't look at Ellie.

"Why?" Ellie asked but May didn't answer. She went to find Phil in his office. "Why are we in New York?"

"Repairs." Phil mumbled, his mind obviously elsewhere.

"Phil, talk to me." Ellie said softly, sitting on the edge of his desk. "Please."

"Fury lied to me." Phil said. This had hit him harder than Ellie thought. Phil slammed his fist on the desk angrily. "I wanted to die and they wouldn't let me. I trusted them and they kept things from me. They kept you from me."

"Come on." Ellie reached for his hand and tugged him to his feet. "We're in New York. Let's get some dinner, go back to the apartment, and watch a movie. I'm ready for anything. I just want my Phil back."

"I don't know if he came back." Phil admitted.

"You are the same kind, loving, handsome, capable hero of a man that you were before." Ellie straightened his tie. "I know Fury lied to both of us but I'm glad that you're alive. I'm glad that we have more time together."

Phil nodded and Ellie kissed his chastely. She made a suggestion. "Why don't we go see your mother?"

"She's not a level 7." Phil's response was immediate.

"Fury doesn't have to know." Ellie smiled at him. "She's going to be ecstatic to see you and we can have her at the wedding."

Phil watched her for a long minute before he nodded. "Absolutely."

"Perfect. Let's go." Ellie and Phil got off the plane and in the car waiting for them. It took them to Stark Tower but she didn't realize it until they opened the car door. "Nope. We can't be here."

"Ellie!" Pepper called out. She had been waiting for the car and saw a glimpse of a man inside. "Who's your friend?"

"Pep, this is not good." Ellie said under her breath.

"Of course it is." Pepper said happily. She looked inside the car and saw Phil, her face turning white. "Ellie, is that..."

"It's classified." Ellie replied quickly.

"He's alive?" Pepper practically shouted and Ellie covered her mouth with her hand.

"You can't make a big deal out of this." Ellie said softly. "I have to get him inside without anybody seeing."

"Of course." Pepper nodded, still in shock. "Right this way, please."

Phil kept his head down as they entered Stark Tower and took Tony's private elevator up to the living quarters. Ellie was nervous. She didn't know how everybody would react to this news. With a ding, the doors opened.

**A/N: This chapter is short so I'm sorry. But thanks to those who follow/favorite/review/read this story. You guys rock. Please leave a review on your way out. I've had a couple of mentions of a Phellie baby. Is that something you all would want? Let me know. :)**

**Erica: I'm glad you're enjoying the story. :) **


	24. Chapter 24

"What the hell?" Tony shouted when he saw Phil. Tony, Steve, Clint, and Natasha were all in Stark Tower. They had assumed that Ellie was on a bender and needed an intervention.

"This was a bad idea." Ellie muttered under her breath. "This was such a bad idea."

"Do you have any idea what you put her through?" Tony growled at Phil.

"It wasn't my choice." Phil said. "I wouldn't have done it if it was."

"Whose choice was it?" Steve asked.

"Director Fury's." Phil replied. Ellie slipped her hand into his and squeezed it gently. "It was level 7."

"Can we just be happy that he's alive?" Ellie asked loudly, trying to be heard over Tony. "We're getting married."

That quieted him down for a moment. "What?"

"We're getting married."

"Congratulations." Steve offered.

Tony and Pepper pulled her aside in the kitchen. Pepper seemed excited for a wedding but Tony was furious. "Are you really going to marry him after what he did?"

"He didn't choose to die, Tony." Ellie kept her voice low.

"After what he put you through, how could you even want to be with him? He lied!" Tony countered. "Maybe you didn't see the damage he did to you but all of us did and let me tell you, it wasn't pretty. That's coming from me. You made my playboy years look tame."

"That's exactly why I'm with him." Ellie said. "I can't be without him, Tony. I don't know how. Those nine months when he was gone was the worst thing I've ever felt."

"You were getting better." Tony said.

"No I wasn't." Ellie admitted. "I wanted to die. What would happen to you if the same thing happened to Pepper? You would do the same thing I did. You guys were the ones who brought us here. Look, Phil has been through a rough time the last few weeks. Give him some slack."

"Of course we will." Pepper spoke for him. "We're just happy you're back to normal."

They rejoined the others where they were sitting awkwardly. Ellie grabbed Phil's hand and pulled him toward the elevator.

"I'm sorry." Phil stopped and turned to them. "I wish I could have told you all the truth before now, especially Ellie, but I couldn't. You have to understand."

"Come on, Phil." Ellie tugged on his arm. "We better go."

"You can't go on the street in the daylight." Pepper said quickly. "He can be spotted. Stay here until it's dark."

"That sounds horrible, Pep." Ellie said. "You all are angry at him when he doesn't deserve it."

"It's just a lot to take in." Pepper said. "Stay here. We can have some dinner and smooth things over."

Dinner was an awkward event to say the least. It was mostly silent until Pepper brought up the wedding.

"Have you set a date?" Pepper asked.

"Not yet." Phil replied. "It's been a little busy."

"Too busy dying?" Tony smirked, groaning when Ellie kicked him under the table. "What? I'm making conversation."

"Stark, can you stop?" Steve asked, exasperated with his attitude. "We all wanted her to be happy and now she is."

"Why are you so happy, Capsicle?" Tony asked as he poured himself another Scotch. "You were waiting to make your move on her."

"Tony, that's enough!" Pepper glared at him while Steve looked embarrassed.

"I think we're going to go." Phil said. "Thanks for dinner."

"I am so sorry." Ellie apologized when they got outside and in a cab. "I didn't think they would do that. Not that I planned on taking you there but still."

"It's not your fault." Phil said, smiling at her. "Let's go home."

The apartment was the same, minus his collectibles. Ellie dialed his mother's phone number and invited her over. Sadly, Mrs. Coulson was busy and couldn't make it so they exchanged pleasantries and hung up.

"Do you feel better now that you're home?" Ellie asked him as he scanned their DVD collection.

"Not really." Phil admitted. "Take how they felt about me and magnify it by a thousand and that's how I feel about Director Fury right now."

"I know you feel betrayed." Ellie started but Phil cut her off with a kiss. He picked her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist as he carried her to the bedroom. Phil needed her and she would give him anything he needed.

The next morning, Ellie stood in her bathroom and stared at the little pink plus sign on the stick in her hand. A feeling of terror washed over her, followed quickly by happiness, excitement, then nervousness. Phil was making breakfast when she emerged.

"Want some pancakes?" He asked with a smile.

"Sure." Ellie smiled at him. She wanted to be able to tell him in a special way. A knock at the door stilled her thoughts. Pepper stood on the other side with a garment bag in her hands. "Come in. You want some pancakes?"

"No. I came to apologize for yesterday." Pepper said, hanging the bag on the hook of the bedroom door. "And to tell you that the Avengers and I are behind your wedding one hundred percent."

"Well, thanks." Ellie said, pulling her hair over her shoulder. "What's in the bag?"

"Your wedding dress." Pepper squealed. A pan clattered in the kitchen but Phil said he was okay. "You two are getting married today."

"I'm sorry. What?" Ellie asked.

"You have waited long enough." Pepper said. "Phil, Tony is waiting downstairs with an apology and a suit. We have a hair and makeup crew coming over in half an hour."

"What about his mother?" Ellie asked.

"She is already on her way and she knows he's alive. She's happy to see him on his wedding day." Pepper smiled widely.

"You're amazing." Ellie squealed.

"Phil, you have to leave." Pepper told him. "It's bad luck to see the bride before the wedding."

"I've already seen her." Phil said, chuckling.

"Too bad." Pepper countered. "Go."

Phil was ushered downstairs and before Ellie knew it, she was staring at herself in her full length mirror. The dress Pepper had chosen was a strapless mermaid style gown and the color brought out the blue in her eyes. The stylist had curled her hair, pinning most of it up and the makeup artist accented her features but didn't do anything too heavy.

The church was beautifully decorated and Ellie was amazed by Pepper's ability to get things accomplished. She walked down the aisle by herself, having no one to give her away, but it didn't matter. The smile on Phil's face was the only thing she saw. Before long she was saying the words she had waited so long to say.

"I do."

**A/N: Whoo! A lot happened there. :) Thanks, as always, to my fabulous readers/reviewers/followers/favoriters. You guys inspire me to get chapters up quicker and I love all of you. Please leave a review on your way out. They are always read and appreciated and I do my best to reply to each one. :)**

**Rylee: I thought it was unfair for them not to know. Seems so cruel. **

**Erica: I think Pepper is just one of those people who are easy to talk to. Here's the start of the Phellie baby. :)**


	25. Chapter 25

Ellie had thought of about five hundred ways to tell Phil she was pregnant. With the help of Pepper, she had arranged the perfect way to tell him.

"This isn't going to be awkward." Ellie promised Phil as she set the table for dinner. The Avengers were coming over tonight.

"They all hate me." Phil said, placing the wine glasses around the table.

"No they don't." Ellie promised, kissing him on the cheek. There was one knock at the door before Tony let himself in, followed by the others. Pepper smiled and pulled Ellie into the kitchen.

"Did you get it finished?" Pepper asked.

"Yeah. The paint took longer to dry than I thought but it's ready." Ellie smiled anxiously.

"Somebody said something about food?" Tony said loudly from the dining room.

"Coming!" Ellie called. Pepper helped her carry the food out and they filled their plates.

"Are you staying in New York?" Steve asked Ellie.

"No. I don't think so." Ellie said. "I'm probably going back on the bus with the rest of the team."

"Why?" Tony asked, sipping his third Scotch of the evening. "We could use you here."

"We don't have any missions and I'd like to stay where I'm useful." Ellie countered and Pepper kicked Tony under the table.

"Ellie, why don't we get dessert?" Pepper suggested.

"Fantastic idea, Pep." Ellie got up quickly and joined Pepper in the kitchen, her stomach churning. She took several deep breaths to steady herself.

"Are you okay?" Pepper asked.

"Just a little nauseous." Ellie admitted. She clutched the box that held her secret tightly in her hand.

"We can go and you can tell him privately." Pepper said, rubbing her shoulders.

"I want you all here." Ellie said. "I just need a minute."

The girls rejoined the others and Ellie put the box in front of Phil and kissed him chastely. Pepper handed out plates of cheesecake as Phil looked at the box, confused. He untied the ribbon and Ellie fidgeted nervously. When he opened the box and looked inside, his head snapped up to look at Ellie, who nodded.

"Are you serious?" Phil's voice was louder than he meant it to be. He put the package down and grabbed Ellie, kissing her. The pair giggled happily as Phil hugged her tightly, his eyes watering.

"What's going on?" Steve asked. Pepper had been sitting on Phil's opposite side and she reached in the box, lifting the item inside. Ellie had made a picture frame out of macaroni that she had died blue and pink and her ultrasound picture was inside.

"Did you know about this?" Tony asked Pepper, who nodded. The group looked to Phil and Ellie who seemed to be in their own world, giggling and kissing each other.

"Congratulations." Natasha and Steve offered. Clint gave Ellie a hug and Pepper couldn't stop smiling. Bruce seemed pleased as well. The only one who wasn't overjoyed was Tony. He seemed like he was in shock.

Phil had placed his hand on Ellie's stomach and only moved it to kneel in front of her, placing kisses on her stomach. "Hello baby. It's your daddy."

"We'll give you two some privacy." Pepper said, hugging Ellie on her way out. Soon enough the apartment was empty.

"How far along are you?" Phil asked.

"About eight weeks." Ellie said, her nervousness gone. Phil had helped her with the dishes and they were in bed, looking at the ultrasound. "I'm sorry I told Pepper first."

"It's okay." Phil kissed her gently. He was rubbing her stomach again. "I think you should stay in New York."

"What?" Ellie asked, confused. "We just got a lead on the Clairvoyant. I can't stay here."

"I want to keep you and the baby safe." Phil replied. "Being on the bus and going after the Clairvoyant could put you in danger."

"What about you?" Ellie countered. "When will we see you?"

"We can work that out, sweetheart." Phil promised. "Please just do this for me and the baby."

Ellie sulked for a few moments but eventually nodded. "But if you need me, promise you'll call for me?"

"I promise." Phil smiled at her. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close to him, her head resting on his chest. "I love you."

"I love you too." Ellie smiled and closed her eyes, lulled to sleep by his heartbeat.

Phil was awoken the next morning to Ellie vomiting in the bathroom. She had locked the bathroom door, not wanting him to see her like that.

"Open the door, Ellie." Phil said, knocking on the door.

"Go away." Ellie groaned, resting her head on the cold porcelin. Her stomach heaved and she puked again.

"Are you okay?" Phil called through the door. A splash of liquid answered his question and he found the key to the bathroom in their junk drawer. He unlocked the door and knelt next to her, getting her hair out of the way.

"Go away." Ellie grumbled.

"No." Phil helped her stand up and flushed the toilet as she brushed her teeth. "You want something to eat?"

"Just some tea." Ellie rinsed her mouth and ran a brush through her hair before slumping at the table. Phil made some toast for her as well, so she would have something in her stomach. "When are you leaving?"

"After breakfast." Phil said, sitting down with his own food. "Maybe you should stay with Stark so you have somebody to take care of you."

"Tony's not really the caregiving type, Phil." Ellie sipped her tea carefully.

"Pepper did invite you to stay with them before she left." Phil reminded her.

"I'll think about it." Ellie promised. "I'm going to go lay down."

Ellie crawled into bed and Phil came to say goodbye a little while later. He kissed her lips tenderly and she sat up to straighten his tie. "Come home to me, Mr. Coulson."

"Always, Mrs. Coulson." Phil promised. He kissed her once more before leaving and locking the door behind him.

**A/N: Thanks to all who read/follow/favorite/review this story. I'm sorry this chapter took a bit longer than I wanted to get out. I got distracted by life and such. Please leave a review on the way out. **


	26. Chapter 26

Ellie had spent a lot of time doing what she could to help find the Clairvoyant but there wasn't much she could do. She didn't have access to Phil's information because he wouldn't give it to her. He wanted her to rest or hang out with Steve and Tony, not worry about him. It was when she was running with Steve when Fury found her.

"What the hell, Johnson?" Fury barked as she and Steve ran the track around the SHIELD base.

"It's Coulson now, sir." Ellie corrected, stopping and trying to catch her breath.

"That's what I'm referring to." Fury grumbled. "He isn't supposed to be alive and now you're married to him?"

"We were going to tell you." Ellie promised, guzzling water after Steve handed her a bottle.

"When?" Fury asked.

"Um...never?" Ellie offered. "You lied to me for months, Fury. Yes, Phil and I are married. We're also expecting a baby. After what you did to him, he should get a free pass."

"You don't get to dictate what I do or don't do." Fury reminded her. "As of now you're on the bench. You're suspended."

"You can't do that!" Ellie shouted. "What if something happens?"

"Then you can watch from your apartment!" Fury shouted. "I'm not having this kind of disregard for the rules on my team."

Fury left them on the track and Ellie was angry.

"You want to run some more?" Steve asked. Ellie's reply was to take off, leaving Steve to catch up with her. He was the only one who didn't seem to want to wrap her up in a blanket and keep her from doing anything. He knew what it was like to be angry and need to blow off some steam.

"How dare he?" Ellie growled once they returned to her apartment. "He doesn't get to suspend me because I got married."

"Maybe he's doing it because you're pregnant." Steve offered as he pulled out some of the leftover pasta from the night before. The pair didn't bother with plates as he handed her a fork and they dug in. "Wants to protect the baby."

"Maybe." Ellie grumbled, her mouth full. "This is so unfair. You get to go on missions, Phil gets to go on missions and I get to wait at home."

"You have a chance to be normal, El." Steve reminded her. "Take it."

"I guess." Ellie said, stabbing another forkful and shoving it into her mouth. "I'm bored already."

-0-

Pepper did her best to keep Ellie busy; taking her on shopping trips and business meetings. She had given Ellie a position at Stark Corporation as her assistant but it basically meant that she sat around looking at a computer. The only time she got to use her abilities was when she worked out with Steve. Ellie escaped to the gym often; mostly to escape Pepper's enthusiasm.

"How's it going?" Ellie asked Phil when he called.

"I think we're getting close." Phil told her. "There's some big things happening so stick close to Cap, okay?"

"I can keep myself safe." Ellie replied.

"I know. It would make me feel better to know you had extra protection." Phil said gently. "How's the baby?"

"Growing fast." Ellie said. "I have another appointment in a few weeks."

"I'll be there." Phil promised. "I have to go. I love you."

"I love you too. Be safe." Ellie hung up and flopped on her couch, sighing in boredom as she clicked on the TV. She wasn't paying attention to the picture on the screen when she felt something warm and sticky between her legs. Furrowing her brows in confusion, she got up and went to the bedroom to change her pants, dropping the old ones to the floor when she caught sight of the blood. Her throat constricted and she started to panic as she changed before she ran downstairs to get a cab.

She went to the emergency room and was hustled inside,, where the doctors did an ultrasound.

"Mrs. Coulson, I'm sorry." He said, a solemn look on his face. "There's no heartbeat. I'm afraid-"

Ellie felt a sob bubble up in her throat and she swallowed it, nodding at the doctor as he spoke. He told her that she would undergo a procedure to make sure that there were no complications with her miscarriage.

"Is there anyone you'd like to call?" The doctor asked.

Ellie nodded and picked up her phone, dialing Steve's number. She didn't want to tell Phil over the phone, especially when he couldn't come home right now. Sniffling she said, "Steve, can you come over to Mercy West?"

"Yeah. What's wrong?" Steve asked, already heading out the door.

"Just come. I need you." Ellie hung up and told the doctor that Steve would be there soon. He told her that they could wait for a few minutes and gave her some privacy. She raised her knees to her chest, clutching the hospital blanket in her hands as she cried into it. The door opened about ten minutes later and Steve walked in, immediately taking in her red eyes and assuming the worst.

"It's gone, Steve." Ellie said, her voice thick with tears. "I lost the baby."

Steve let out a heavy breath and perched himself on the edge of the hospital bed, holding Ellie as she cried. He rubbed her back, hushing her and promising that it would be okay as the doctor walked in.

"Are we ready?" The doctor asked gently. Ellie nodded and Steve moved to stand next to her, his back to the doctor as he instructed Ellie where to move. She grabbed Steve's hand tightly.

"Hey." Steve said softly, using his hand to push her chin up so she had to look in his eyes. "Look at me. Right at me."

Ellie licked her lips and Steve wiped away her tears with his free hand as the doctor began.

**A/N: I am so sorry that I have not updated in forever. I really have no excuse. Please don't hate me for this chapter. I do want to thank those of you who have read/followed/favorited/reviewed. I love all of you and please feel free to review. :) **


	27. Chapter 27

"I think it'd be a good idea." Steve was sitting on Ellie's kitchen counter, plucking grapes from the bowl Ellie was putting them in and tossing them in his mouth.

"You suggested it so obviously you think it's a good idea." Ellie glanced at him as she finished cleaning the fruit. "I can't just pack up and move to D.C."

"Why not?" Steve asked, swallowing the grape in his mouth. "After the last year, we could both use a change of scenery and I could use a roommate."

He hopped off the counter and poked her in the side. "C'mon El. You know you want to."

Ellie giggled when he poked her then sighed. "I will think about it."

"Deal." Steve smiled broadly. "Tony blackmailed me into convincing you to go out tonight. He says you've been mopey."

"I just haven't felt like it." Ellie grumbled, leaning against the counter. It had been a few weeks since her miscarriage and when she told Phil, he was upset but ultimately concerned about how she was doing.

"Stark says if you don't come out, Natasha is going to make you." Steve replied.

"Why are you going? You don't really like Tony." Ellie reminded him.

Steve shrugged. "It helps me figure out the world."

"We aren't capable of getting drunk." Ellie pointed out.

"Tony said he'd bring his 'special alcohol'." Steve checked his phone. "We're supposed to meet them at the bar in an hour."

Ellie knew that Steve wanted her to get out and stop moping around the apartment. She also knew that Tony would drag her out of this apartment in her yoga pants and tank top if she wasn't ready so she sighed in defeat and went to get dressed.

-0-

Ellie groaned at the pounding in her head as she woke up the next morning. The next thing she noticed was the very male cologne wafting toward her nose followed by the arm wrapped around her waist. She rolled over and shouted in surprise, causing Steve to wake up with a start.

"What the hell?" Ellie got out of bed and realized she was wearing Steve's button up shirt and he was only in his boxers. "Oh my God. Did we-"

"I don't know." Steve said, racking his brain for last night. Tony's alcohol had affected him more than he thought it would and he couldn't remember much. "Wouldn't we remember...that...happening?"

"Oh my God." Ellie started to panic as Steve searched for his jeans, slipping them on quickly. Ellie had left the bedroom and was pacing the living room when he found her.

"El-"

"Nope." Ellie interrupted him, stopping him by pointing her finger in his direction. "You stay over there and go find a shirt."

"Y-you're wearing my shirt." Steve said, gesturing awkwardly to the blue shirt that draped Ellie's figure. Ellie went to the bedroom and slammed the door behind her, changing her clothes quickly and tossing Steve his shirt when she emerged. He tugged the shirt on and buttoned it. "Should we—should we talk about this?"

"No. We are not ever going to talk about this." Ellie said quickly.

"What about Phil?" Steve asked. "Are you going to tell him?"

Ellie didn't get to respond because her phone rang. It was Phil. "Hey, baby."

"Hi, sweetheart. How are you feeling?" Phil asked.

"A little hungover. I went out with Tony and the others last night." Ellie said as got a bottle of water. "Tony brought his alcohol with him."

"Drink lots of water." Phil reminded her and she took a drink. "Remember how you mentioned how Captain Rogers was wanting a roommate and wanted to move to D.C.?"

"Mm-hmm." Ellie took a nervous gulp of water.

"I think it's a good idea." Phil said and she spat water in shock. "You should get out of New York for now and I already arranged a place for you two. It's close to the Smithsonian. You love museums."

"Yeah, I do." Ellie smiled and ran a hand through her hair.

"Well, some movers will come over in a few days and take care of everything." Phil replied. "I have to go but I love you."

"Love you too." Ellie hung up and sighed.

"What?" Steve had claimed a spot on the couch and waited for her so they could talk.

"Phil thinks moving to D.C. would be a good idea." She slumped down on the couch arm next to Steve. "He already got an apartment and everything."

"You only told him about that yesterday." Steve was impressed by Phil's efficientness. "So...are we going to do it?" He realized the double meaning to his questioin and stammered. "I meant are we going to move?"

"We have to." Ellie replied. "If we don't, Phil will think something is up."

Steve sighed. "Look, El I don't know what happened last night and neither do you. Maybe nothing happened."

"Steve, you were in your boxers and I was in your shirt." Ellie reminded him. "That can't happen again. It just can't."

Steve nodded his agreement. "I should probably get out of here and start packing if we're moving in a few days."

**A/N: I've only seen Winter Soldier once so if I get any details horribly wrong, please tell me. Also, don't hate me too much after this chapter. Long distance relationships and things like miscarriage can blur a person's judgement.**

**However I shall leave something up to you, my dearest readers. Shall Phil find out and stay with her or does he find out and leave? It's up to you and I shall update in one week. **


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